Szilárd petition
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Szilárd petition, drafted by scientist Leó Szilárd, was signed by 155 scientists working on the Manhattan Project in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, and the Metallurgical Lab in Chicago, Illinois. It was circulated in July 1945 and asked President Harry S. Truman to consider an observed demonstration of the power of the atomic bomb first, before using it against people. However, the petition never made it through the chain of command to President Truman. It also was not declassified and made public until 1961.
Contents |
[edit] Petition excerpt
- [W]e, the undersigned, respectfully petition: first, that you exercise your power as Commander-in Chief, to rule that the United States shall not resort to the use of atomic bombs in this war unless the terms which will be imposed upon Japan have been made public in detail and Japan knowing these terms has refused to surrender; second, that in such an event the question whether or not to use atomic bombs be decided by you in the light of the considerations presented in this petition as well as all the other moral responsibilities which are involved.[1]
[edit] Signatories
The 70 signers at the Manhattan Project "Metallurgical Laboratory" in Chicago, in alphabetical order, with their positions, were:[1]
1. DAVID S. ANTHONY, Associate Chemist 2. LARNED B. ASPREY, Junior Chemist, S.E.D. 3. WALTER BARTKY, Assistant Director 4. AUSTIN M. BRUES, Director, Biology Division 5. MARY BURKE, Research Assistant 6. ALBERT CAHN, JR., Junior Physicist 7. GEORGE R. CARLSON, Research Assistant-Physics 8. KENNETH STEWART COLE, Principal Bio-Physicist 9. ETHALINE HARTGE CORTELYOU, Junior Chemist 10. JOHN CRAWFORD, Physicist 11. MARY M. DAILEY, Research Assistant 12. MIRIAM P. FINKEL, Associate Biologist 13. FRANK G. FOOTE, Metallurgist 14. HORACE OWEN FRANCE, Associate Biologist 15. MARK S. FRED, Research Associate-Chemistry 16. SHERMAN FRIED, Chemist 17. FRANCIS LEE FRIEDMAN, Physicist 18. MELVIN S. FRIEDMAN, Associate Chemist 19. MILDRED C. GINSBERG, Computer 20. NORMAN GOLDSTEIN, Junior Physicist 21. SHEFFIELD GORDON, Associate Chemist 22. WALTER J. GRUNDHAUSER, Research Assistant 23. CHARLES W. HAGEN, Research Assistant 24. DAVID B. HALL, position not identified 25. DAVID L. HILL, Associate Physicist, Argonne 26. JOHN PERRY HOWE, JR., Associate Division Director, Chemistry 27. EARL K. HYDE, Associate Chemist 28. JASPER B. JEFFRIES, Junior Physicist, Junior Chemist 29. WILLIAM KARUSH, Associate Physicist 30. TRUMAN P. KOHMAN, Chemist-Research 31. HERBERT E. KUBITSCHEK, Junior Physicist 32. ALEXANDER LANGSDORF, JR., Research Associate 33. RALPH E. LAPP, Assistant to Division Director 34. LAWRENCE B. MAGNUSSON, Junior Chemist 35. ROBERT JOSEPH MAURER, Physicist 36. NORMAN FREDERICK MODINE, Research Assistant 37. GEORGE S. MONK, Physicist 38. ROBERT JAMES MOON, Physicist 39. MARIETTA CATHERINE MOORE, Technician 40. ROBERT SANDERSON MULLIKEN, Coordinator of Information 41. J. J. NICKSON, [Medical Doctor, Biology Division] 42. WILLIAM PENROD NORRIS, Associate Biochemist 43. PAUL RADELL O'CONNOR, Junior Chemist 44. LEO ARTHUR OHLINGER, Senior Engineer 45. ALFRED PFANSTIEHL, Junior Physicist 46. ROBERT LEROY PLATZMAN, Chemist 47. C. LADD PROSSER, Biologist 48. ROBERT LAMBURN PURBRICK, Junior Physicist 49. WILFRED RALL, Research Assistant-Physics 50. MARGARET H. RAND, Research Assistant, Health Section 51. WILLIAM RUBINSON, Chemist 52. B. ROSWELL RUSSELL, position not identified 53. GEORGE ALAN SACHER, Associate Biologist 54. FRANCIS R. SHONKA, Physicist 54. ERIC L. SIMMONS, Associate Biologist, Health Group 56. JOHN A. SIMPSON, JR., Physicist 57. ELLIS P. STEINBERG, Junior Chemist 58. D. C. STEWART, S/SGT S.E.D. 59. GEORGE SVIHLA, position not identified [Health Group] 60. MARGUERITE N. SWIFT, Associate Physiologist, Health Group 61. LEO SZILARD, Chief Physicist 62. RALPH E. TELFORD, position not identified 63. JOSEPH D. TERESI, Associate Chemist 64. ALBERT WATTENBERG, Physicist 65. KATHERINE WAY, Research Assistant 66. EDGAR FRANCIS WESTRUM, JR., Chemist 67. EUGENE PAUL WIGNER, Physicist 68. ERNEST J. WILKINS, JR., Associate Physicist 69. HOYLANDE YOUNG, Senior Chemist 70. WILLIAM F. H. ZACHARIASEN, Consultant
[edit] References
- ^ a b A Petition to the President of the United States. Atomic Bomb: Decision, section of Leo Szilard Online.
