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F.D. Roosevelt
President of the United States
White House
Washington, D.C.
Sir:
Some recent work by E. Fermi and L.
Szilard, which has been communicated to
me in manuscript, leads me to expect
that the element uranium may be turned
into a new and important source of
energy in the immediate future. Certain
aspects of the situation which has
arisen seem to call for watchfulness and
if necessary, quick action on the part
of the Administration. I believe
therefore that it is my duty to bring to
your attention the following facts and
recommendations. In the course of the
last four months it has been made
probable through the work of Joliot in
France as well as Fermi and Szilard in
America--that it may be possible to set
up a nuclear chain reaction in a large
mass of uranium, by which vast amounts
of power and large quantities of new
radium-like elements would be generated.
Now it appears almost certain that this
could be achieved in the immediate
future.
This new phenomenon would also lead to
the construction of bombs, and it is
conceivable--though much less
certain--that extremely powerful bombs
of this type may thus be constructed. A
single bomb of this type, carried by
boat and exploded in a port, might very
well destroy the whole port together
with some of the surrounding territory.
However, such bombs might very well
prove too heavy for transportion by air.
The United States has only very poor
ores of uranium in moderate quantities.
There is some good ore in Canada and
former Czechoslovakia, while the most
important source of uranium is in the
Belgian Congo.
In view of this situation you may think
it desirable to have some permanent
contact maintained between the
Administration and the group of
physicists working on chain reactions in
America. One possible way of achieving
this might be for you to entrust the
task with a person who has your
confidence and who could perhaps serve
in an unofficial capacity. His task
might comprise the following:
A) to approach Government Departments,
keep them informed of further
development, and put forward
recommendations for Government action,
giving particular attention to the
problem of securing a supply of uranium
ore for the United States.
B) to speed up the experimental work,
which is at present being carried on
within the limits of the budgets of
University laboratories, by providing
funds, if such funds be required,
through his contacts with private
persons who are willing to make
contributions for this cause, and
perhaps also by obtaining co-operation
of industrial laboratories which have
necessary equipment.
I understand that Germany has actually
stopped the sale of uranium from the
Czechoslovakian mines which she has
taken over. That she should have taken
such early action might perhaps be
understood on the ground that the son of
the German Under-Secretary of State, von
Weizsacker, is attached to the
Kaiser-Wilhelm Institute in Berlin,
where some of the American work on
uranium is now being repeated.
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