 "Albert Einstein")
Nobel laureate Albert Einstein is often associated with the creation of the atomic bomb that caused devastating effects in Japan and began the nuclear arms race. However, Einstein never worked on the Manhattan Project as he was denied the necessary security clearance due to his pacifist views and background.
Manhattan Project
The Manhattan Project was a research and development programme that produced nuclear weapons, most notably the atomic bomb.
The research and development into nuclear weapons can be traced back to December 1938, when German physicists Otto Hahn and Fritz Strassman first discovered nuclear fission. This means that the nucleus of an atom could be split in two or "fissioned." This fission of an atom had the potential to release a large amount of energy. This discovery was the basis on which research on creating the atomic bomb began.
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The discovery stemmed from Einstein's famous equation E = mc^2.
The equation that made history
In 1905, Einstein published two papers on the 'Special Theory of Relativity'. His first paper was on the properties of light and time, while his second built on the former describing a "very interesting conclusion" he arrived at about energy. This is where the physicist first wrote down his mathematical findings:
energy (E) equals mass (m) times the speed of light (c) squared (2), or E=mc^2
The equation was revolutionary to the scientific community as it revealed that mass and energy were different forms of the same thing. However, it took months for scientists to come around to this finding as it went against pre-existing scientific beliefs.
While the equation explained how energy worked, it was theoretical and did not provide information on how to build an atomic bomb. This association between the famed equation and the bomb has led to Einstein's name being attached to the latter.
Einstein’s Letter to President Roosevelt
On August 2, 1939, Albert Einstein wrote a letter to then President Franklin Delano Roosevelt regarding the potential development of atomic weapons.
In the letter, Einstein warned Roosevelt about the possibility of Germany harnessing the power of nuclear fission to create extremely destructive weapons, specifically highlighting the potential for Germany to build an “extremely powerful bomb.”
Einstein urged the United States government to initiate its own research into nuclear weapons and emphasised the importance of staying ahead in this field to maintain national security.
This letter played a significant role in prompting the US government to establish the Manhattan Project, a research and development effort that ultimately led to the creation of the atomic bomb.
Einstein drafted this letter with the help of Hungarian emigre physicist Leo Szilard and Eugene Wigner, both of whom went on to work on the Manhattan Project. Szilard even helped Einstein draft the letter,
In August 1939, Albert Einstein wrote a letter to then President Franklin Delano Roosevelt regarding research on fission chain reactions that utilised uranium. This made it possible to harness large amounts of power that had the potential to create an “extremely powerful bomb.”
Einstein drafted this letter with the help of Hungarian emigre physicist Leo Szilard and Eugene Wigner, urging the US government to support research in this area, as he believed the German government was doing the same at the time.
Einstein, Szilard, and Wigner were among the many European scientists who fled to the US to escape the Nazi regime in the 1930s.
Roosevelt’s decision to set up a committee of civilian and military representatives to study uranium in 1939 was the first step that led to the creation of the Manhattan Project.
Einstein never worked on the Manhattan project
Einstein was considered a security risk due to his left-leaning political views. In July 1940, Einstein was denied security clearance by the US Army Intelligence Office to work on the Manhattan Project. Moreover, the scientists working on the project were prohibited from consulting with Einstein regarding the project.
It is unclear if Einstein wanted to work on the project just that he was not allowed. He was deemed a security risk as he himself was German and was known to have left-leaning political views.
Einstein, Szilard, and Wigner were among the many European scientists who fled to the US to escape the Nazi regime in the 1930s.
When news of the Japanese bombing reached Einstein, he is known to have said "Woe is me."
According to the American Museum of Natural History, when asked about his role in the project, Einstein told Newsweek magazine, "had I known that the Germans would not succeed in developing an atomic bomb, I would have done nothing."
Post-bombing peace efforts
In July 1945, 68 of the scientists who worked on the Manhattan Project signed the 'Szilard petition' which opposed the use of the atomic bomb on moral grounds. Many scientists in the project stated that they were not entirely aware of what they were creating.
The committee that presented this petition, formally established the Emergency Committee of Atomic Scientists (ECAS) in 1946. Albert Einstein and Leo Szilard were the founders, the former was also the Chairman of the committee. The aim of this was to warn the public on the dangers of nuclear weapons, promote peaceful use of nuclear energy.
Author Robert Jungk stated, “it was a crusade undertaken by men who were children in political affairs.”
In an interview with Atlantic magazine in November 1947, Einstein stated that nuclear weapons should be the last resort in warfare and only be used as a defensive step. He said, "I do not suggest that the American failure to outlaw the use of the bomb except in retaliation is the only cause of the absence of an agreement with the Soviet Union over atomic control."
This was amidst high geopolitical tensions between the Soviet Union and the US which was also known as the Cold War.
