Manhattan Project
Oppenheimer J. Robert. Director and the leading scientist for the "Manhattan Project"
"The atomic bomb made the prospect of future war unendurable. It has led us up those last few steps to the mountain pass; and beyond there is a different country."- Openheimer
A secretly developed project which aim to research and create Atomic Weapon was approved by President Roosevelt in December 1941 (Mcbride). There were two factors why he started. First, a surprise attack on Pearl Harbor which lead U.S. entry into the World War II. Two, the great influence by the letter that was sent by the well-known physicist, Albert Einstein. He informed the president about the Germans researching on Nuclear Fission which could brought to a construction of a "bomb of a new-type" and it would cause massive destruction, provened by the research and experiment of the two Hungarian physicists, Leo Szilard and Enrico Fermi (U*X*L Encyclopedia of U.S. History; pg 112). Thus, Einstein recommended the president to secured a significant amount of uranium ores and assigned a trustable person to be incharged of the bombs' development. President Roosevelt whom felt threatened of the possibility of Germany producing the first atomic bomb; thus gave an order for researching and development of the nuclear weapon. In the end it cost nearly $2billion US dollars to fund the research and development of three atomic bombs: Trinity, Little Boy, Fat Man (Lerner).
Letter from Albert Einstein to President Roosevelt regarding Germany's atom bomb development
"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 become 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 would 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 a new 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 to be too heavy for transportation by air.
The United States has only very poor ores of uranium in moderate quantities. There is some good ore in Canada and the former Czechoslovakia, while the most important source of uranium is 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 with this task a person who has your confidence and who could perhaps serve in an in official capacity. His task might comprise the following:
to approach Government Departments, keep them informed of the 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.
to speed up the experimental work, which is at present being carried on within the limits of the budget of University laboratories, by providing funds, if such funds be required, through his contacts with private persons who are willing to make contributions to this cause, and perhaps also by obtaining the co-operation of industrial laboratories which have the necessary equipment. "