The letter that Albert Einstein penned in 1939, urging President Roosevelt to prioritize nuclear research, sold for a staggering $3.9 million at a recent Christie’s auction. This letter, which played a pivotal role in the development of the atomic bomb, was originally addressed to the US president, highlighting the grave potential of nuclear weapons and the urgent need for American involvement.

A Warning That Changed History

The original letter, now part of the Franklin D. Roosevelt Library’s collection in New York, was Einstein’s attempt to warn President Roosevelt that Germany might be developing nuclear weapons. In the letter, Einstein discussed recent breakthroughs in nuclear physics, noting that uranium could become “a new and important source of energy” and warning that this energy could be harnessed to create “extremely powerful bombs.”

Einstein, along with fellow physicist Leo Szilard, had fled Europe due to the rise of Adolf Hitler. Feeling a sense of urgency, Einstein’s letter helped convince the U.S. government to expedite its research into nuclear fission, leading to the Manhattan Project and the eventual development of atomic bombs.

Peter Klarnet, senior specialist in Americana, books, and manuscripts at Christie’s, described the letter as “one of the most influential letters in history.” Written in the summer of 1939, it set the stage for the nuclear arms race and changed the course of the war and human history.

According to Business Insider, the auctioned copy was the only one in private hands, previously owned by the late Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen, who purchased it in 2002 for $2.1 million. Before that, it was part of publisher Malcolm Forbes’ collection, acquired from Leo Szilard’s estate.

Einstein’s “Great Mistake”

Though instrumental in advancing the U.S. nuclear program, Einstein later expressed profound regret. He called his involvement in the development of nuclear weapons his “one great mistake.” After the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945, Einstein reportedly lamented, “Woe is me,” recognizing the immense human suffering caused by these weapons.

New Delhi:

A rare autographed manuscript by renowned physicist Albert Einstein explaining the development of his famous contributions to science — theories of special relativity (1905) and general relativity (1915) — is set to go under the hammer at Christie’s ’20th/21st Century Art Evening Sale’ on September 23.

The auction, expected to fetch around $980,000-1,400,000 (Rs 8.13-11.61 crore), will be held at the Waldorf Astoria Shanghai.

The manuscript, first published in a special supplement to the New York Times on 3 February 1929, is written in German. Einstein had been commissioned to explain the development of his two most famous contributions to science: the theories of special relativity (1905) and general relativity (1915).

“We are delighted to bring this important manuscript by the renowned scientist Albert Einstein to our Shanghai saleroom for the very first time. Given Einstein’s historical links with Shanghai, alongside the significant interest from Chinese collectors in scientific artifacts, our Shanghai saleroom is a fitting context in which to present this unique manuscript.

“We look forward to exciting global collectors and science enthusiasts with this remarkable piece of history, inextricably connected with Einstein’s groundbreaking contributions,” said Georgina Hilton, head of Classic Art, Christie’s Asia Pacific in a statement.

The 14-page manuscript holds tremendous significance as it recounts the history behind the discovery of relativity, explains its working, and looks to the possibility of completing the cycle of relativity in a ‘unified field theory’.

It includes two equations and a diagram illustrating the structure of the spacetime continuum, along with two pages of scientific formulae.

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