A historical document is up for auction through Bonhams: Einstein's most thorough statement on his involvement with the atomic bomb, expected to fetch between $100,000 and $150,000 when bidding concludes in June 2025.
This typed manuscript, signed by Einstein himself, contains his essay "On My Participation in the Atom Bomb Project" — his most comprehensive explanation of his role in the bomb's development, written in response to questions from a Japanese magazine after images of atomic destruction were finally permitted to be published in Japan.
The document opens with Einstein's famous clarification: "My participation in the production of the atom bomb consisted in a single act: I signed a letter to President Roosevelt."
The letter reveals Einstein grappling with his conscience: "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."
The document reveals Einstein's moral conflict as he continues, "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."
This statement was Einstein's response to direct questioning from Katsu Hara, editor of the Japanese magazine Kaizō, who had asked Einstein, "Why did you co-operate with the production of the atomic bomb although you were aware of its tremendous destructive power?" The document represents Einstein's most extended reflection on his role in the bomb's development — a role that haunted him, leading him to later confess to Linus Pauling in 1954, "I made one great mistake in my life when I signed the letter to President Roosevelt recommending that atom bombs be made…"
The manuscript concludes with a hopeful reference to nonviolent resistance: "Gandhi, the greatest political genius of our time has shown the way… a living example that man's will, sustained by an indomitable conviction is stronger than apparently invincible material power."
The letter comes from the collection of Herbert Jehle, a physicist, friend of Einstein, and editor of the Society for Social Responsibility in Science newsletter.
Previously:
• Einstein's 'extremely aggressive and litigious' estate makes $12.5m a year in image licensing fees
• Einstein's stinky leather jacket sold for $144,000
