A letter from Albert Einstein to US President Franklin D Roosevelt, which set in motion the creation of the atomic bomb, is to be auctioned at Christie's New York on 10 September 2024. The two-page document, dated 2 August 1939, warned that uranium could be used to build 'extremely powerful bombs' and urged the US to accelerate its own research amid fears that Nazi Germany was developing similar weapons.
The letter led directly to the Manhattan Project, a $2 billion top-secret programme that produced the first atomic bombs. Historians regard it as a pivotal moment in science and politics. 'In so many ways, this letter marks a key inflection point in the history of science, technology and humanity,' said Peter Klarnet, senior specialist at Christie's. The auction house expects the letter to fetch more than $4 million.
Two versions of the letter exist: the shorter one being sold, and a longer version delivered to the White House, now held at the Franklin D Roosevelt Library in New York. The letter was drafted with input from physicist Leo Szilard, a former student of Einstein, who is considered the true instigator. Einstein later called his involvement 'the one great mistake in my life' and insisted his role was indirect.
Interest in the auction has been boosted by the 2023 film Oppenheimer, which depicts the Manhattan Project and includes a scene referencing the letter. However, the film's dramatic final exchange between Oppenheimer and Einstein is historically inaccurate, as Einstein lacked security clearance for such discussions.
