Szilard petition

E96397

Manhattan Project document anti-nuclear weapons document historical document petition

The Szilard petition was a 1945 document signed by Manhattan Project scientists urging the U.S. government to demonstrate the atomic bomb’s power before using it on Japanese cities, reflecting early ethical concerns about nuclear weapons.

Aliases (1)

Szilárd petition ×1

Statements (50)

Predicate	Object
instanceOf	Manhattan Project document → anti-nuclear weapons document → historical document → petition →
addressedTo	Harry S. Truman → President of the United States →
archivedAt	Library of Congress → U.S. National Archives →
callsFor	avoidance of surprise nuclear attack on cities → consideration of moral responsibility → non-combat demonstration of the atomic bomb → warning to Japan before atomic bomb use →
countryOfOrigin	United States →
createdAt	Metallurgical Laboratory → University of Chicago NERFINISHED →
date	1945-07-03 → 1945-07-17 →
expressesConcernAbout	future of humanity under nuclear weapons → killing of civilians → moral precedent of first atomic bomb use →
handledBy	General Leslie Groves → James F. Byrnes →
hasAlternativeName	A Petition to the President of the United States → Szilárd petition →
hasAuthor	Leó Szilárd →
hasFullTextAvailableAt	Atomic Heritage Foundation website → U.S. National Archives website →
historicalSignificance	early ethical critique of nuclear weapons use → early organized protest by nuclear scientists →
influenced	debates on scientists' social responsibility → later anti-nuclear movements →
language	English →
numberOfSignatories	70 →
opposes	unannounced atomic bombing of Japanese cities →
placeOfOrigin	Chicago, Illinois →
recipientDecision	not shown to President Truman before Hiroshima bombing →
relatedTo	Hiroshima → Manhattan Project → Nagasaki → World War II → atomic bomb → nuclear weapons ethics →
signedBy	Leó Szilárd → Manhattan Project scientists → scientists at the Metallurgical Laboratory →
topic	civilian casualties → demonstration of atomic bomb → international control of nuclear weapons → use of atomic bombs against Japan →
year	1945 →

Referenced by (2)

Subject (surface form when different)	Predicate
Szilard petition ("Szilárd petition") →	hasAlternativeName
Leo Szilard →	organized