Despite the lack of information on Einstein’s later years and the lack of major scientific discoveries or research, Einstein by no means disappeared.  Einstein continued to play an active role in both the scientific and political field.

                The most significant contribution Einstein made in his later years was his contribution to the development of the a-bomb.  Einstein’s popular equation E=mc2 illustrates the principle in the atomic bomb.  Bombs were not, however, what Einstein was thinking of when he wrote this equation.

                In fact, Einstein was a self-proclaimed pacifist.  In 1929, he stated publicly that if war broke out he would, “unconditionally refuse to do war service, direct or indirect… regardless of how the cause of war should be judged.”  This position was changed when Adolf Hitler came to power, but he was still a great advocate of peace.  Einstein’s theory was not his only contribution or the greatest contribution to the building of the atomic bomb.

                The splitting of the uranium atom in Germany in 1983 and continued aggression of the Germans led some physicists to fear that Germany might be working on the atomic bomb.  Leo Szilard and Eugene Wigner were two scientists that were concerned but had no real influence.  Szilard was an associate of Einstein, who definitely had influence, in July 1939.

                When these two explained their concern to Einstein said that the possibility of a chain reaction had, “never occurred to me.”  Einstein did, however, quickly pick up on the concept they were explaining.  After talking with Einstein, Szilard wrote a letter to President Roosevelt with Einstein’s signature.  This letter encouraged the development of the atomic bomb and was delivered to the President in October 1939.  Later that month the Briggs Committee was appointed to study uranium chain reaction. 

                Due to the slow progress of this Committee Einstein and Szilard wrote another letter to FDR in March 1940 and another in April 1940 urging the Briggs Committee to go faster.  Research continued slowly until the British MAUD Report in October 1941 that stated that, “an atomic bomb could be built and that it might be ready for use by the late 1943, in time for use during the war.”

                Even if Einstein had not written letters to President Roosevelt the atomic bomb would have been made, however, it would not have been to use during the war. 

                Einstein was excluded from the a-bomb project except for the occasion when Vannevar Bush, coordinator of the project, asked Einstein’s advice on a theoretical problem.  Bush didn’t trust Einstein to keep the project a secret.  Also because of Einstein’s support of German left-wing causes he was denied security.  Einstein, therefore, continued as a consultant for the United States Navy’s Bureau of Ordinance.

                Despite Einstein’s help with the atomic bomb he never supported the use of it.  With clarity of sight he predicted the problems that would be caused by the development of this weapon.  In December 1944, Einstein wrote Niels Bohr, “when the war is over,  then there will be in all countries a pursuit of secret war preparations with technological means which will lead inevitably to preventative wars and to destruction even more terrible than the present destruction of life.” 

                A year after the use of the atomic bomb on Japan Einstein publicly stated that, “he was sure that President Roosevelt would have forbidden the atomic bombing of Hiroshima had he been alive…” Einstein also wrote later, “I have always condemned the use of the atomic bomb against Japan.”  To express the extent of his feeling against the use of the atomic bomb five month’s before his death, in November 1954, Einstein wrote: “I made one great mistake in my life… when I signed the letter to President Roosevelt recommending that atom bombs be made; but there was some justification – the danger that the Germans would make them.”

                In 1940, Einstein became a United States citizen while retaining his Swiss citizenship.  Throughout his life in America he contributed and supported peace.  In 1944 he contributed to the war effort by putting a hand written copy of his 1905 paper on special relativity up for auction.  It sold for six million dollars and is now in the Library of Congress.  In 1945 Einstein was devastated by the extent of the Holocaust.  In 1946, he became the chairman of the Emergency Committee for Atomic Scientists, and expressed public support for the formation of a world government. 

In 1947, Einstein was intensely active in behalf of the disarmament and world government.  And in 1948 he supported creation of the State of Israel.  An illness in 1949 caused him to prepare for death and in 1950 he drew up his will.  All of his scientific papers went to the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, a university that he had raised funds for.  After the death of the Israel president in 1952, the Israeli government offered Einstein the presidency.  However, he refused this offer somewhat embarrassingly, not wishing to offend the Israeli government.  And in 1955 shortly before his death, on April 18, Einstein signed a letter to Bertrand Russell agreeing to put his name on a manifesto urging all nations to give up nuclear weapons.  As is evident, Einstein had very strong political views and supported them all his life.  He also tried to make up for his participation in the creation of the atomic bomb by pushing even more peace.