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In the summer of 1939, a group of physicists, including several who had fled Hitler’s Germany, met to discuss
their fears of Germany developing a uranium-based weapon. They decided to immediately inform President Roosevelt
of their concerns. Because Albert Einstein had a previous personal relationship with the Roosevelts and was
internationally well-known, a letter informing the President about the dangers of a nuclear chain reaction bomb was drafted
by physicist Leo Szilard with input from others, for Einstein’s signature. This August 2, 1939 letter was delivered to
the President on October 11, 1939 (the outbreak of the war intervened) by Alexander Sachs, a longtime economic adviser to FDR.
After learning the letter’s contents, President Roosevelt told his military adviser General Edwin M. Watson,
“This requires action.” The action FDR required would evolve into the Manhattan Project.
(This corresponds to the October 15, 2026 newsletter)
