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Oppenheimer, ‘father of the atomic bomb’, gives his most evocative and accurate assessment ever of the evolution of nuclear w

International Autograph Auctions Europe S.L.

Lot 416

Oppenheimer, ‘father of the atomic bomb’, gives his most evocative and accurate assessment ever of the evolution of nuclear weapons, illustrating incredible foresight for the future use of the weapon he created that could ultimately destroy the world and human race -‘If they are ever used again, it may well be by the thousand or perhaps by the tens of thousands; their method of delivery may well be different and may reflect new possibilities of interception and the strategy of their use may well be different from what it was against an essentially defeated enemy. But it is a weapon for aggressors and the element of surprise and of terror are as intrinsic to it as are the fissionable nuclei.’ OPPENHEIMER J. ROBERT: (1904-1967) American theoretical physicist, credited as 'the father of the atomic bomb', The director of the Manhattan Project's Los Alamos Laboratory during World War II, Oppenheimer is the inspiration for the film Oppenheimer (2023) in which he is portrayed by actor Cillian Murphy. An important and significant T.L.S., Oppie, one page, 4to, Princeton, New Jersey, 16th April 1952, to Stephen White of Look magazine, on the printed stationery of the Institute for Advanced Study. Oppenheimer writes to his friend, journalist Stephen White, to thank him for having sent the proof of his article, Russia's Newest Threat: A-Bomb Supremacy, evidently following discussions the two man had engaged in, 'As you say, it is quite along the lines that you discussed with me…..I think that you probably pull the dangers up a little too close in time; and many of the things you say, I do not myself believe to be strictly true. But, like all your friends, I add a “print it”, with the general feeling that you are talking about real things and talking about them in a reasonable way, and that this desperately needs to be done', the physicist continuing to add 'There are a number of reasons - - some developed since I saw you - - why I am reluctant to appear to be a part of just this story. I want to be very sure that I cry no wolves that are not genuine wolves' and further offering White a shrewd quotation that could incorporated into his article, 'I have thought that I wrote something long ago which you can perhaps use. This was in the autumn of 1945 in Philadelphia…..It was published in No. 1 of Vol. 90 of the Proceedings of the American Philosophical Society. The sentence that I think you might wish to quote is “If they are ever used again it may well be by the thousands, or perhaps by tens of thousands”. The rest of the paragraph is: “their method of delivery may well be different and may reflect new possibilities of interception, and the strategy of their use may well be different from what it was against an essentially defeated enemy. But it is a weapon for aggressors, and the elements of surprise and of terror are as intrinsic to it as are the fissionable nuclei.”, concluding 'I do not know whether this will help; but it is meant to be helpful'. A letter of truly remarkable content in which Oppenheimer demonstrates extraordinary foresight for the future use of the atomic bomb. VG Stephen White's article Russia's Newest Threat: A-Bomb Supremacy appeared in the 3rd June 1952 issue of Look magazine. It was deemed important enough by the American House of Representatives that Melvin Price, representative from Illinois from 1945-88, and later chairman of the Joint Committee on Atomic Energy, had the full article contained in the Congressional Records in order to substantiate, and provide additional support to, Henry M. Jackson's address to the House of Representatives 'on the urgent question of maintaining [America's] atomic supremacy and of holding Russian aggression in check'. White's competently argued article, written in private consultation with Oppenheimer and others, warns of the grave problem facing America from Russia ('the weapon is being turned against us') and informs the reader that 'This reporter has asked blunt questions about the new state of affairs. He asked them even though he knew that no responsible official would give him a direct answer. The law forbids talking for the record. But there was one significant comment each time. When he described the story he planned to write, he was invariably told grimly, “Print it”.' In August 1949, earlier than the Americans had anticipated, the Soviet Union carried out their first atomic bomb test. At this time Oppenheimer was chairman of the General Advisory Committee to the Atomic Energy Commission (created in 1947), a post he would remain in until August 1952, just months after writing the present letter. As chairman of the GAC Oppenheimer argued against the development of a more powerful nuclear fusion-based hydrogen bomb, warning of the enormous human casualties that would result from its use. Nevertheless, American president Harry S. Truman made the decision, in January 1950, to proceed with the development of the weapon, a decision which Oppenheimer officially acceded to despite his views on the hydrogen bomb being well known. After leaving the General Advisory Committee in 1952, Oppenheimer chaired the State Department Panel of Consultants on Disarmament which urged that the United States postpone its planned first test of the hydrogen bomb and seek a thermonuclear test ban with the Soviet Union, on the grounds that avoiding a test might forestall the development of a catastrophic new weapon and open the way for new arms agreements between the two nations.

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