Einstein’s Nuclear Warning Letter to FDR Up For Auction

A copy of Albert Einstein's 1939 letter to President Franklin Roosevelt, warning of the possibility of Nazi Germany building nuclear weapons, is up for auction at Christie's with an estimated value of $4-6 million. The letter, which has been retained by Leo Szilard, is a significant historical document that led to the development of the atomic bomb. It was originally written in German and then translated into English by Szilard, who also created a longer version with administrative steps for the President to support uranium research. The longer version is currently housed at the Franklin D. Roosevelt Library in Hyde Park, New York. The letter, which discusses the potential for uranium to become a new source of energy and the possibility of creating powerful bombs, was initially sent to economist Alexander Sachs, who then delivered it to Roosevelt on October 11, 1939. Sachs included scientific reports and papers provided by Szilard with the letter. The letter is being sold as part of the estate of late Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen, along with other notable items such as an Apple I computer, an Enigma machine, and a NASA flight suit worn by Buzz Aldrin.