169:"If after this war a situation is allowed to develop in the world which permits rival powers to be in uncontrolled possession of these new means of destruction, the cities of the United States as well as the cities of other nations will be in continuous danger of sudden annihilation The added material strength which this lead gives to the United States brings with it the obligation of restraint and if we were to violate this obligation our moral position would be weakened in the eyes of the world and in our own eyes. It would then be more difficult for us to live up to our responsibility of bringing the unloosened forces of destruction under control. We, the undersigned, respectfully petition: first, that you exercise your power as Commander-in-Chief, to rule that the United States shall not resort to the use of atomic bombs in this war unless the terms which will be imposed upon Japan have been made public in detail and Japan knowing these terms has refused to surrender; second, that in such an event the question whether or not to use atomic bombs be decided by you in the light of the considerations presented in this petition as well as all the other moral responsibilities which are involved."
182:, hoping to find someone who would pass on to President Truman the message from scientists that the bomb should not be used on a civilian population in Japan, and that after the war it should be put under international control in order to avoid a post-war arms race. Byrnes was not sympathetic to the idea at all. Thus, President Truman never saw the petition prior to the dropping of the bomb. Szilárd regretted that such a man was so influential in politics, and he appeared to also be despondent at having become a physicist, because in his career he had contributed to the creation of the bomb. After the meeting with Byrnes, he is quoted as having said, "How much better off the world might be had I been born in America and become influential in American politics, and had Byrnes been born in Hungary and studied physics." In reaction to the petition, General
20:
84:
103:
co-wrote the report, which argued that political security in a post-nuclear world would rely upon international exchange and ownership of atomic information, and that in order to avoid a nuclear arms race and preserve goodwill towards the United States, Japan must be given proper warning ahead of the
107:
Unlike the Franck Report, which by and large focused on the politics of using the atomic bomb and the possibility of international collaboration, the Szilárd
Petition was a moral plea. Its signatories, foreseeing an age of rapid nuclear expansion, warned that, should the United States drop the bomb
164:
The petition was addressed to
President Truman and stated that the original intention of the Manhattan Project was to defend the United States against a possible nuclear attack by Germany, a threat that had by then been eradicated. They then pleaded with Truman to make public the full terms of
213:
business magazine found that over three-quarters of
Americans surveyed approved of the decision to drop the bombs. In spite of this, a group of the most prominent scientists of the day united to speak out against the decision, and about the future nuclear arms race.
133:
26% - the bomb should be part of an experimental demonstration in the United States, with a
Japanese delegation present as witnesses in the hope that they would bring their observations back to the government and advocate for
112:, they would "bear the responsibility of opening the door to an era of devastation on an unimaginable scale." They feared that, in using the bomb, the United States would lose moral authority to bring the subsequent
156:, who told Teller that politicians in Washington were already weighing the issue and that the lab scientists would do better to stay out of it. Thus, no new signatures for the petition were collected at Los Alamos.
55:
to inform Japan of the terms of surrender demanded by the allies, and allow Japan to either accept or refuse these terms, before
America used atomic weapons. However, the petition never made it through the
260:, and others. The theme of the book, which sold over a million copies, was that nuclear arms should never be used again and that international cooperation should govern their use.
1029:
119:
More than 50 of the initial signatories worked in the
Chicago branch of the Manhattan Project. After much disagreement among the other scientists in Chicago, lab director
982:
19:
1034:
960:
One World or None. Edited by D. Masters and K. Way. (A report to the public on the full meaning of the atomic bomb.) [By various contributors.]
130:
46% - the bomb should be demonstrated by the military in Japan, with the hope that surrender would follow; if not, the bomb should be used as a weapon.
206:
64:
127:
15% - the bomb should be used as a weapon by the military in order to bring about
Japanese surrender with the fewest possible Allied casualties.
123:
took a survey of 150 scientists as to what they believed the best course of action would be, regarding the bomb. The results were as follows:
941:
268:
The 70 signers at the
Manhattan Project's Metallurgical Laboratory in Chicago, in alphabetical order, with their positions, were:
713:
1009:
149:
1004:
165:
surrender and to await a
Japanese response before dropping the atom bomb, and to consider his "obligation of restraint":
699:
297:
209:
led to an estimated 200,000 civilians dead and, debatably, Japan's eventual surrender. In
December 1945, a study by
1024:
152:
in the hopes of recruiting more signatures. However, Teller first brought Szilárd's request to Los Alamos director
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In the spring of 1945, Szilárd took the petition to the man who was soon to be named Secretary of State,
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Howard Gest, "The July 1945 Szilard Petition on the Atomic Bomb: Memoir by a signer in Oak Ridge"
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95:, written by the Committee on the Social and Political Implications of the Atomic Bomb, of which
186:, the director of the Manhattan Project, sought evidence of unlawful behavior against Szilárd.
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2% - the bomb should not be used in combat and total secrecy should be maintained afterwards.
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748:"American Physicists, Nuclear Weapons in World War II, and Social Responsibility"
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One World or None: A Report to the Public on the Full Meaning of the Atomic Bomb
109:
32:
999:
806:
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on August 6, 1945. It was followed three days later by a second bomb, known as
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Elmo Roper, “The Fortune survey,” Fortune 32 (December 1945), 303–310; on 305.
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to President Truman. It was not declassified and made public until 1961.
83:
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11% - the bomb should be used only as part of a public demonstration.
82:
63:
Later, in 1946, Szilárd jointly with Albert Einstein, created the
18:
1005:"The Scientists' Petition:" A Forgotten Wartime Protest
904:"Groves Seeks Evidence Against Szilard, July 4, 1945"
908:
Atomic Bomb: Decision, section of Leo Szilard Online
811:
Atomic Bomb: Decision, section of Leo Szilard Online
31:, drafted and circulated in July 1945 by scientist
807:"A Petition to the President of the United States"
23:Petition in the "final" version of July 17th 1945
144:Szilárd asked his friend and fellow physicist,
957:MASTERS, Dexter, and WAY (Katharine) (1946).
99:was the chair. Szilárd and Met Lab colleague
35:, was signed by 70 scientists working on the
8:
981:: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (
220:was released in 1946, containing essays by
16:1945 American petition on atomic weapon use
1030:Atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki
930:Masters, Dexter; Way, Katharine (1972).
801:
799:
797:
429:, Associate Division Director, Chemistry
65:Emergency Committee of Atomic Scientists
735:
974:
639:, Associate Physiologist, Health Group
7:
1035:Nuclear history of the United States
857:"H-bomb inventor Edward Teller dies"
741:
739:
573:, Research Assistant, Health Section
148:, to help circulate the petition at
891:Hiroshima: Why the Bomb Was Dropped
606:, Associate Biologist, Health Group
889:Goodman, Roger (director) (1995).
441:, Junior Physicist, Junior Chemist
14:
91:The petition was preceded by the
471:, Assistant To Division Director
189:The first atomic bomb, known as
893:. ABC News. 00:28:00~00:31:00.
423:, Associate Physicist, Argonne
360:, Research Associate-Chemistry
67:that counted among its board,
1:
936:. Books for Libraries Press.
207:The deployment of these bombs
567:, Research Assistant-Physics
513:, Coordinator of Information
312:, Research Assistant-Physics
294:, Director, Biology Division
855:Ball, Philip (2003-09-11).
700:William Houlder Zachariasen
1056:
1000:Full text of the petition.
676:Edgar Francis Westrum, Jr.
836:(2, p138-149. 12p): 264.
772:10.1007/s00016-003-0215-6
746:Badash, Lawrence (2005).
511:Robert Sanderson Mulliken
322:Ethaline Hartge Cortelyou
318:, Principal Bio-Physicist
824:Lamont, Lansing (1965).
505:Marietta Catherine Moore
463:Alexander Langsdorf, Jr.
282:, Junior Chemist, S.E.D.
45:Metallurgical Laboratory
963:. McGraw-Hill Book Co.
714:Einstein–Szilárd letter
653:position not identified
632:position not identified
587:position not identified
559:Robert Lamburn Purbrick
487:Norman Frederick Modine
844:– via EBSCOhost.
830:Physics in Perspective
752:Physics in Perspective
724:Nuclear weapons debate
688:Ernest J. Wilkins, Jr.
525:, Associate Biochemist
171:
108:to end the war in the
104:dropping of the bomb.
88:
51:. It asked President
24:
842:10.1086/ahr/71.3.1100
690:, Associate Physicist
594:, Associate Biologist
547:Robert Leroy Platzman
523:William Penrod Norris
475:Lawrence B. Magnusson
457:Herbert E. Kubitschek
447:, Associate Physicist
403:Walter J. Grundhauser
354:, Associate Biologist
342:, Associate Biologist
167:
154:J. Robert Oppenheimer
86:
22:
869:10.1038/news030908-6
672:, Research Assistant
610:John A. Simpson, Jr.
529:Paul Radell O'Connor
489:, Research Assistant
481:Robert Joseph Maurer
465:, Research Associate
427:John Perry Howe, Jr.
411:, Research Assistant
405:, Research Assistant
370:Francis Lee Friedman
340:Miriam Posner Finkel
336:, Research Assistant
316:Kenneth Stewart Cole
300:, Research Assistant
288:, Assistant Director
41:Oak Ridge, Tennessee
764:2005PhP.....7..138B
660:, Associate Chemist
637:Marguerite N. Swift
535:Leo Arthur Ohlinger
435:, Associate Chemist
399:, Associate Chemist
382:Mildred C. Ginsberg
378:, Associate Chemist
276:, Associate Chemist
682:Eugene Paul Wigner
616:Ellis P. Steinberg
592:George Alan Sacher
583:B. Roswell Russell
561:, Junior Physicist
543:, Junior Physicist
459:, Junior Physicist
453:, Chemist-Research
439:Jasper B. Jeffries
393:, Junior Physicist
376:Melvin S. Friedman
352:Horace Owen France
306:, Junior Physicist
238:Robert Oppenheimer
121:Farrington Daniels
89:
25:
1025:Manhattan Project
943:978-0-8369-2610-1
933:One World Or None
664:Albert Wattenberg
645:, Chief Physicist
598:Francis R. Shonka
541:Alfred Pfanstiehl
537:, Senior Engineer
499:Robert James Moon
310:George R. Carlson
193:, was dropped on
114:nuclear arms race
73:Nobel Peace Prize
49:Chicago, Illinois
37:Manhattan Project
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826:"Day of Trinity"
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696:, Senior Chemist
658:Joseph D. Teresi
649:Ralph E. Telford
618:, Junior Chemist
577:William Rubinson
571:Margaret H. Rand
531:, Junior Chemist
477:, Junior Chemist
451:Truman P. Kohman
409:Charles W. Hagen
397:Sheffield Gordon
391:Norman Goldstein
324:, Junior Chemist
304:Albert Cahn, Jr.
280:Larned B. Asprey
274:David S. Anthony
101:Glenn T. Seaborg
58:chain of command
29:Szilárd petition
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553:C. Ladd Prosser
292:Austin M. Brues
266:
258:Irving Langmuir
226:Albert Einstein
180:James F. Byrnes
176:
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116:under control.
110:Pacific theater
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53:Harry S. Truman
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12:
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1040:1945 documents
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994:External links
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758:(2): 138–149.
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719:Nuclear ethics
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517:J. J. Nickson
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702:, Consultant
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565:Wilfrid Rall
507:, Technician
433:Earl K. Hyde
358:Mark S. Fred
267:
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106:
97:James Franck
90:
62:
28:
26:
684:, Physicist
666:, Physicist
643:Leo Szilard
612:, Physicist
600:, Physicist
555:, Biologist
501:, Physicist
495:, Physicist
483:, Physicist
417:, Physicist
372:, Physicist
330:, Physicist
264:Signatories
242:Harold Urey
222:Leo Szilárd
87:Leó Szilárd
33:Leo Szilard
1019:Categories
730:References
298:Mary Burke
254:Hans Bethe
230:Niels Bohr
191:Little Boy
150:Los Alamos
134:surrender.
79:Background
75:in 1962).
43:, and the
977:cite book
969:563074303
877:0028-0836
788:119510266
780:1422-6944
678:, Chemist
579:, Chemist
549:, Chemist
366:, Chemist
224:himself,
195:Hiroshima
174:Aftermath
708:See also
386:Computer
203:Nagasaki
760:Bibcode
211:Fortune
201:, over
199:Fat Man
160:Summary
967:
940:
875:
861:Nature
786:
778:
784:S2CID
983:link
965:OCLC
938:ISBN
873:ISSN
776:ISSN
27:The
865:doi
838:doi
768:doi
47:in
39:in
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979:}}
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Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
