Ten Days That Unexpectedly Changed America, 2006
On December 6, 1941, on the eve of Pearl Harbor, a letter was delivered to Franklin D. Roosevelt. It came from Albert Einstein, the most famous scientist in the world. The letter brought news and a strong admonition: it was not only possible, but imperative that the United States build a nuclear bomb before the Nazis who were already at work on such a device. Behind the letter lay a fascinating story of scientific discovery and political intrigue. The hero of this behind-the-scenes tale was not Einstein but a brilliant Hungarian-born physicist named Leo Szilard. Szilard had not only figured out the principle of nuclear chain reaction, but had seen into the future and realized the urgent necessity of building a nuclear bomb.
Part of the History Channel's groundbreaking Ten Days series, "Einstein's Letter" writes a new page in the history of the Atomic Bomb.
Produced and Directed by: John Maggio and Barak Goodman
Written by: John Maggio
