tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9633767.post3831495239891665520..comments2024-03-18T06:11:04.848-07:00Comments on The Curious Wavefunction: Celebrating the 1939 Leo Szilard letter to FDR and setting the record straightWavefunctionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14993805391653267639noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9633767.post-20712688587855596562014-08-05T07:42:50.318-07:002014-08-05T07:42:50.318-07:00Yes, true.Yes, true.Wavefunctionhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14993805391653267639noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9633767.post-15953469402149723002014-08-04T12:35:03.442-07:002014-08-04T12:35:03.442-07:00It is important to emphasize that the letters were...It is important to emphasize that the letters were all Szilard’s doing. He just needed a big name in science to put his signature to the letter. When he first spoke with Einstein about the possibility of a nuclear chain reaction producing and explosive event with uranium Einstein said, “I had not thought of that!” Having Einstein’s signature gave Szilard’s letter the most powerful endorsement possible to get Roosevelt’s attention. The rest of the story of how it took from the fall of 1939 to the beginning of 1942 to actually get started is also important and if it hadn’t been for an Aussie with the British MAUD committee, Mark Oliphant, it might have taken even longer. <br />M TuckerAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9633767.post-15997975688927949582014-08-04T09:45:05.747-07:002014-08-04T09:45:05.747-07:00Indeed! Losing Szilard as a friend was another one...Indeed! Losing Szilard as a friend was another one of Teller's tragedies.Wavefunctionhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14993805391653267639noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9633767.post-44897222766984722972014-08-04T09:44:33.628-07:002014-08-04T09:44:33.628-07:00Interesting. I must go back to it now.Interesting. I must go back to it now.Wavefunctionhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14993805391653267639noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9633767.post-19662388642033559082014-08-03T13:58:43.229-07:002014-08-03T13:58:43.229-07:00Szilard was also the key person who helped Edward ...Szilard was also the key person who helped Edward Teller's mother and sister in getting permission to leave Hungary for the US to meet Edward Teller.Chemdiaryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06428076032546974013noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9633767.post-43285337854398398022014-08-03T01:36:51.796-07:002014-08-03T01:36:51.796-07:00Not regarding Szilard's acts of conscience. Th...Not regarding Szilard's acts of conscience. The usually-wordy Rhodes doesn't mention the Franck Report at all, and barely mentions Szilard's petition against the use of the bomb.Gene Dannenhttp://www.dannen.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9633767.post-57304943570505984822014-08-02T21:21:32.834-07:002014-08-02T21:21:32.834-07:00Indeed! One of the great strengths of Rhodes's...Indeed! One of the great strengths of Rhodes's book is that it gives due importance to Szilard's role.Wavefunctionhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14993805391653267639noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9633767.post-76973919759365348002014-08-02T14:47:44.663-07:002014-08-02T14:47:44.663-07:00And Richard Rhodes' "The Making of the At...And Richard Rhodes' "The Making of the Atomic Bomb" is pretty good too. The book opens with the traffic light episode and the index has twice as many entries for Szilard as it does for Einstein.Davehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01829195444859017977noreply@blogger.com