A signed letter from Einstein about his regrets over the role he played in building the atomic bomb has sold for a whopping $150,000.
The nuclear weapon, which releases massive destructive energy, was used during World War II by the US-led Manhattan Project.
Two were dropped, the first on Hiroshima on 6 August 1945 and the second at Nagasaki on 9 August 1945, killing over 100,000 people instantly and many more afterwards.
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This led to Japan’s surrender and the end of World War II.
Albert Einstein, who is best known for the theory of special relativity, was involved in the creation of the bomb, reports What’s The Jam.
In 1939, Einstein co-signed a letter written by physicist Leó Szilárd to US President Franklin D. Roosevelt.
The letter warned that Nazi Germany might be trying to build an atomic bomb and urged the US to start its own nuclear program.
Einstein later expressed regret over his role in encouraging nuclear weapon development and became an advocate for nuclear disarmament.
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The signed confession, which was allegedly kept safe by a close friend, has now sold at auction for an eye-watering $150,000.
It read: “My participation in the production of the atom bomb consisted in a single act: I signed a letter to President Roosevelt.
“This letter stressed the necessity of large scale experimentation to ascertain the possibility of producing an atom bomb.
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“I was well aware of the dreadful danger for all mankind, if these experiments would succeed. But the probability that the Germans might work on that very problem with good chance of success prompted me to take that step.
“I did not see any other way out, although I always was a convinced pacifist. To kill in war time, it seems to me, is in no ways better than common murder.
“As long however, as nations are not ready to abolish war by common action and to solve their conflicts in a peaceful way on a legal basis, they feel compelled to prepare for war.”
This statement was Einstein’s response to direct questioning from Katsu Hara, editor of the Japanese magazine Kaizō.
He had asked him why he co-operated with the production of the atomic bomb, knowing how destructive it was.
The document, which was for sale in New York, US, shows Einstein’s honest reflection on his role in the bomb’s development — a role that clearly haunted him.
The lucky buyer also received two original photographic portraits of the theoretical physicist, which were included in the lot.
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