My participation in the production of the atomic bomb consisted of one single act: I signed a letter to President Roosevelt in which I emphasized the necessity of conducting large-scale experimentation with regard to the feasibility of producing an atom bomb… I felt impelled to take the step because it seemed probable that the Germans might be working on the same problem with every prospect of success. I had no alternative to act as I did, although I have always been a convinced pacifist.

The letter that Einstein referenced here he sent in 1939, and for the rest of his life, the popular misperception that he was the “father of the atomic bomb” haunted Einstein. The Roosevelt letter was a significant factor in the launching of a nuclear program to try to beat the Nazis to the technology.

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