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| Einstein's 1939 Letter Urging US Atomic Program to be Auctioned at Christie's |
A letter from Albert Einstein, urging the US to develop the world's first nuclear bombs, is set to be auctioned. Written to President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1939, the letter warns that Nazi Germany might create such weapons and suggests that the US begin its own atomic program. Three years later, this led to the Manhattan Project and the first use of atomic weapons against Japan in 1945.
The letter is part of an auction of artefacts belonging to Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen, who passed away in 2018 at age 65. Bill Gates, who co-founded Microsoft with Allen, remarked, "Personal computing would not have existed without him." Allen's personal collection will be sold at Christie's in New York in September, featuring a range of items reflecting his interest in and influence on computing, with the Einstein letter expected to be the centerpiece.
Estimated to be worth between $4 million and $6 million (£3.2 million-£4.7 million), the letter was actually written by Hungarian physicist Leo Szilard, with assistance from other scientists, but was signed by Einstein to ensure it caught the president's attention due to his renowned status. Dated August 2, 1939, just weeks before the outbreak of World War II, it warns that Germany might have the knowledge to create a nuclear bomb, stating, "It is conceivable - though much less certain - that extremely powerful bombs of a new type may thus be constructed."
Einstein reportedly later regretted the letter because it contributed to America becoming the only country at the time to develop nuclear weapons. In 1947, he was quoted as saying, "Had I known that the Germans would not succeed in producing an atomic bomb, I would never have lifted a finger."
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