Einstein’s Letter to President Roosevelt

In Girl in the Glass, Declan learns Nazi Germany, with the Obtiuarvi’s help, is developing a bomb that harnesses the power of the atom. Declan, prophesied to stop them, expresses grave misgivings when he learns the Clypeate plans to continue Germany’s atomic weapons program. However, he agrees to help when he learns Albert Einstein is writing a letter to President Roosevelt, requesting the U.S. begin researching the potential of atomic energy, deciding scientists would use the technology for peaceful purposes. Although Declan believes Einstein’s purposes are noble and beneficent, the letter delivered to President Roosevelt just a few weeks later highly recommends the development of atomic technology for weapons purposes.

Albert Einstein’s letter to President Franklin D. Roosevelt, written in August 1939, warns about the potential for Germany to develop atomic bombs. The letter highlighted the possibility of a nuclear chain reaction in uranium and the devastating power of such a weapon. It urged Roosevelt to initiate research and development of atomic weapons in the United States, fearing that Germany might gain a dangerous advantage. 

The letter emphasized the potential for creating "extremely powerful bombs" with the newly discovered technology. It also mentioned that Germany stopped the sale of uranium from Czechoslovakian mines, further fueling concerns about their nuclear ambitions. Roosevelt, after hearing the letter's contents, initiated a military inquiry that eventually led to the Manhattan Project, the U.S. effort to build the atomic bomb. 

Einstein later reflected that if he had known Germany would not succeed in building an atomic bomb, he would have never supported the initiative. The letter, now considered a pivotal moment in the history of nuclear weapons, marked the beginning of the U.S. government's involvement in atomic research and development.

Actual letter written by Albert Einstein to President Roosevelt

Albert Einstein and the atomic weapon

Einstein at work