Leo Szilard: The Scientist Who Initiated the Research and Development of the Atomic Bomb, and Ultimately Tried to Stop Its Use

Einstein knows.
Oppenheimer knows, too.
However, why is the name of Leo Szilard, who connected those two and opened the first door to atomic bomb development, almost unknown?

When talking about the history of the atomic bomb, many people think of

Albert Einstein
Robert Oppenheimer

, don't they?

Einstein is the person who signed the warning letter to President Roosevelt.

Oppenheimer is the person who led the scientific division of the Manhattan Project and was called the "father of the atomic bomb."

However, between those two,

there was a little-known scientist who could be said to have triggered the development of the atomic bomb itself

.

That person is

Leo Szilard.

He recognized the possibility of a nuclear chain reaction at a very early stage, moved Einstein, and warned the U.S. government about the dangers of nuclear weapons development.

However, toward the end of World War II, he turned around and

"The atomic bomb must not be used on cities" joined the side appealing to the government.

The man who opened the door to the birth of the atomic bomb, yet tried to close it in the end.

This time, we will look at Leo Szilard.

Who is Leo Szilard?

Leo Szilard was born in 1898 in Budapest, in what was then the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

He grew up in a Jewish family and later moved to Germany to study physics in Berlin.

Germany at that time was the center of world physics research.

Top-tier scientists such as Albert Einstein and Max Planck were gathered there.

Basic Information on Szilard

Year of Birth: 1898
Origin: Budapest
Specialization: Physics, later Molecular Biology
Background: Jewish
Main Achievements: Pioneering concept of nuclear chain reaction and its relation to the atomic bomb
Led the warning to the U.S. government regarding nuclear development
Opposed the use of the atomic bomb against Japan at the end of the war

1933: The Idea of a Nuclear Chain Reaction

Szilard's greatest foresight was

reaching the idea of a "nuclear chain reaction" before nuclear fission was even discovered
.

In 1933, Szilard thought:

If a certain nuclear reaction could generate multiple neutrons, and those neutrons could trigger the next nuclear reaction,

wouldn't the reaction increase in a chain-like fashion?
he wondered.

The image is:

One reaction
↓
Multiple reactions
↓
Even more reactions
↓
Explosive expansion of reactions

is what it is.

This "nuclear chain reaction" becomes a crucial principle for both later nuclear reactors and atomic bombs. Moreover, at that time, even uranium fission had not yet been discovered.

Szilardhad thought of the basic concepts leading to nuclear weapons before the world had even realized their possibility
.

A Scientist Who Escaped the Nazis

In the same year, 1933.

Adolf Hitler took power in Germany.

Szilard, who was of Jewish descent, sensed the danger and fled Germany.
He then went through England and moved to the United States.

What is important here is that

Szilard himselfknew the true strength of the German scientific community well.
Germany at the time was at the world's highest level in physics, chemistry, and engineering.

That is precisely why,

“If the Nazis realize the potential of nuclear weapons, they might complete them first.”

He held this fear strongly.

1938—The fear becomes a reality

At the end of 1938.

Research by German scientist Otto Hahn and others revealed
the nuclear fission of uranium.

It was a shocking event for Szilard.

Because the possibility that the nuclear chain reaction he had conceived years earlier
could actually be triggered with uranium
had emerged.

Moreover, this discovery took place in Nazi Germany.

From this point on, Szilard thought,
“I must move the U.S. government.”

It was Szilard who moved Einstein

This is a very important part of the history of atomic bomb development.

What is famous is
the letter sent from Einstein to President Roosevelt.

However,
the image that “Einstein himself proposed the development of the atomic bomb”
is slightly inaccurate.

The central figure who actually actively pushed for a warning to the government was,

Szilard.

Szilard and his colleagues thought,
“We cannot move the President on our own.”

So they turned to Einstein, who was world-famous.

To summarize the roles:

■ Person - Role
Leo Szilard: Led the warning and proceeded with drafting the letter
Einstein: Signed the letter and provided social authority
Roosevelt: Considered nuclear research as the U.S. government
Oppenheimer: Later led the atomic bomb development team

In short,

one of the key figures who was actually working behind Einstein's name was Szilard.

The start of America's nuclear development

August 1939.

A letter signed by Einstein is sent to President Roosevelt. To put it simply, the content was,

'It is possible to create an extremely powerful bomb using uranium. And Germany may also be researching it.'

that was the message.

The U.S. government proceeded with nuclear research, which eventually developed into a massive national project,

the Manhattan Project.

Szilard himself also participates in nuclear research

Szilard was also involved in the Manhattan Project.

However,

his role was different from that of Oppenheimer, who was designing the atomic bomb itself at Los Alamos.

In Chicago, Szilard worked onresearch into nuclear chain reactions with Enrico Fermi and others
.

In 1942, he was involved in the success of the world's first controlled artificial nuclear chain reaction,
Chicago Pile-1.

Figures who supported the development of the atomic bomb

■ Person - Main Role
Szilard: Conceptualized nuclear chain reactions and warned the government
Fermi: Realized a controlled nuclear chain reaction
Oppenheimer: Led the design and development of the atomic bomb itself
Groves: Military head of the Manhattan Project

In this sense,
'the father of the atomic bomb' is Oppenheimer,

but Szilard was a figure who could appropriately be called
'the person who sparked the birth of the atomic bomb.'

However, the situation changes

The primary reason Szilard and his colleagues rushed to develop the atomic bomb was

to complete nuclear weapons before Nazi Germanydid.

However, in May 1945, Germany surrendered.
Hitler was also already dead.

In other words,the very reason that had driven the rush to develop the atomic bomb had vanished.

Yet, the American atomic bomb project did not stop.
This was because the war with Japan was still ongoing.

And so, the target for the use of the atomic bomb shifted from Germany to Japan.

Now, advocating to "not use the atomic bomb"

From this point on, Szilard's position changed significantly.

The atomic bomb, which he himself had moved the government to build by arguing,“We must build it before the Nazis do.”

However, now that the Nazis were gone, he began to think,
“It should not be used suddenly against Japanese cities.”

In July 1945, Szilard gathered signatures from scientists and created a document that would later be known as the“Szilard Petition.”

Its purpose was

to oppose the direct use of the atomic bomb on cities with civilians without first giving Japan an opportunity to surrender.

That was its intent.

But the atomic bomb was dropped.

The pleas of Szilard and his colleagues could not change the final policy decision.

August 6, 1945. The atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima.

August 9. A second atomic bomb was dropped on Nagasaki.

The nuclear weapon that Szilard had feared was finally used on actual cities.

The man who initiated its creation and ultimately tried to stop it

There is a great irony in Szilard's life.

At first, he thought, If the Nazis possess nuclear weapons, the world will be in danger.

That is why he moved the U.S. government. However, when the completed atomic bomb was about to be used on Japan,

this time, he appealed to the government, It should not be used against human beings.

To summarize,

Conceiving the nuclear chain reaction
↓
Fearing Nazi atomic bomb development
↓
Moving Einstein
↓
Warning the U.S. government
↓
Joining the Manhattan Project
↓
Germany's surrender
↓
Opposing the use of the atomic bomb on Japan

is the life he led.

Einstein, Oppenheimer, and Szilard

In the history of atomic bomb development,

Einstein and Oppenheimer are extremely famous.

However, when you line the three of them up, their respective roles begin to look different.

■ Person: Relationship with the Atomic Bomb
Einstein: Signed the warning letter to the government as a global authority
Szilard: Quickly sensed the potential for nuclear weapons and led the warning to the government
Oppenheimer: Led the actual development of the atomic bomb in the Manhattan Project

In other words, if Einstein was the 'face' of the warning, Szilard was the mastermind behind it.

And, if Oppenheimer was the man who completed the atomic bomb, it could be said that Szilard was the man who started it all.

Szilard after the war

After the war, Szilard began to distance himself from nuclear weapons development.

His research field also shifted from physics to life sciences and molecular biology.

At the same time, he also focused his efforts on activities to prevent nuclear arms races and nuclear war.

In short, the latter half of his life was also a life spent appealing against the dangers of nuclear weapons, which he himself had helped bring into existence, so that humanity would not perish.

Is Szilard the "father of the atomic bomb"?

Generally speaking,

the one called the "father of the atomic bomb"is Oppenheimer.
Therefore, it is not quite accurate to call Szilard the "father of the atomic bomb" in that same sense.

However,in the sense that he was the person who created the first significant impetus leading to the development of the atomic bomb,
Szilard's presence is arguably immense.

Rather,"the scientist who foresaw the nuclear age earlier than anyone else"

might be a more accurate description of his character.

Summary

Leo Szilard is not as well-known to the general public as Einstein or Oppenheimer.
However, when tracing the history of atomic bomb development, he appears at critical turning points time and again.

However, when tracing the history of atomic bomb development, he appears at critical turning points time and again.

• He imagined the future of nuclear chain reactions.

• He feared Nazi nuclear weapons.

• He moved Einstein to act.

• He steered the U.S. government toward nuclear development.

And in the end,

he pleaded for that atomic bomb not to be used against human beings.

Scientists can create new technologies.

However,

it is not always the case that scientists themselves can control how those technologies are used by the state or society.

Szilard's life,

what is the responsibility of creating science, and what is the responsibility of the humans who use it?

leaves us with that problem.

The man who triggered the birth of the atomic bomb,
and who, in the end, tried to stop its combat use.

That was the scientist Leo Szilard.

*Szilard's name never became widely famous as an atomic bomb developer.
However, the physics community did not forget him.

In 1974, the American Physical Society established the
to honor "a person who has considered the social impact of science and used physics for the benefit of society."
honoring Leo Szilard Award.

Szilard, who triggered the birth of the atomic bomb while opposing its use.
The fact that his name remains as an award symbolizing "the social responsibility of scientists" well represents his life.