Science & Medicine Holiday 2022 - 100 - “We Atomic Scientists… Have A Direct And Special Responsibility In This Crisis Of Humanity”: 1948 Albert Einstein Fundraising Letter For The Emergency Committee Of Atomic Scientists, Signed By Him 97. EINSTEIN, Albert. Typed letter signed. Princeton, April 30th, 1948. Single sheet of wove letterhead stationery, measuring 8-1/2 by 11 inches; p. 1; matted and framed, entire piece measures 24 by 15-1/2 inches. $22,500. Fantastic typed letter signed by Einstein, soliciting funds for a program of public education “so that the American people will understand all that is at stake” when it comes to atomic energy and nuclear weapons. In May 1946, Albert Einstein, Linus Pauling, and other atomic scientists formed a corporation, whose mission was to discharge “our inescapable responsibility to carry to our fellow citizens an understanding of the simple facts of atomic energy and its implications for society.” To attain this objective the Committee solicited private contributions in support of educational programs that publicized the potential uses and misuses of atomic energy. In this fundraising letter, Einstein notes that “Almost imperceptibly, we have moved from our post-war ideal of world cooperation to an acceptance of acute national rivalries… We are all citizens of a world community sharing a common peril—the imminence of war and the inevitability of the use of atomic weapons in that war.” While Einstein did send this fundraising letter to multiple individuals, it remains extremely scarce. Accompanying the letter is a 5-1/2 by 5-1/2-inch printed sheet reprinting the original “Statement by the Emergency Committee of Atomic Scientists,” laying out the six fundamental facts “accepted by all atomic scientists” regarding the danger posed by proliferation and potential use of atomic weapons, referenced in the letter [“the enclosed statement”]. A manuscript annotation on the statement, presumably by the recipient Dr. Fisher, notes “pd 5-6-48” and a check number. Also included is a 6 by 3-1/2-inch printed receipt for Dr. Fisher’s $100 contribution to the Committee, dated “5-10-48.” The letter is addressed to Dr. O.O. Fisher of Detroit, Michigan. Faint fold lines. Fine condition, Einstein’s signature bold and clear.
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy NDg3OTM=