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Home , Leo Szilard

Dr. Leo Szilard Dead at 66 Death came quietly yesterday to Dr. Leo Szilard, 66, whose urging caused Dr. Albert E instein t o suggest work on the atomic bomb. and who devoted th est of hu; life to efforts to prevent the loosing of the invention on n1ankind. Page 32. ) - ) New York ]{eralb m'tioutte Sunday, May 31, 1964 Man Behind the A-Bomh-Dr. Leo Szilard Dies

On March 3, 1939, Dr. Leo in starting the He came to the United him to "speak directly and television discussions about Weinberg shared the $150,000 Szilard and Dr. Walter H. first sustained nuclear chain States in 1938 and resumed personally to the American peace, quarrreled with Dr. o! _ Zinn conducted a nuclear reaction at the University of his researches at Columbia people" on Russian proposals Teller about U. S. atomic po­ the Ford Motor Company experiment at Columbia Uni­ Chicago. University, working t here for postwar esettlement. The licy and continued to think Fund. versity, which Dr. Szilard The rest of his life w-as de­ until 1940. He , Dr. Fermi State Department refused up ways of averting an atomic At the University of Chb later described in there voted to efforts to keep lm­ and other scientists wel·e him permission to communi­ war. cago, Dr. Szilard did research _ words: manity from destroying itself greatly frustrated by the cate with Stalin and he pub­ In 1961 , he founded a in the biophysics of aging.,. "Everything was ready and with the atomic and hydro­ refusal of military leaders to lished it as an open letter in "Council for a Liveable and, in 1959, announced a all we had to do was to turn gen bombs. listen to their warning that the "Bulletin of tl)e Atomic World" of which he was vice­ theory that an individual's a switch, lean back and His battles for peace er.ded the Germans were working Scientists." president at his death. In lifespan is predestined by the watch the screen of a tele­ early yesterday morning on . They He, Dr. Einstein, Harold C. 1962. writing a guest column number of "aging hits" on vision tube. If flashes of light when the brilliant, much­ . chose Dr. Einstein to present Urey and others had already for John Crosby In The Her­ the human cell. Of that and . appeared on the screen. that honored scientist was found t!heir case to Ml'. Roosevelt formed the Emergency· Com­ a.ld Tribune, he suggested a another theory developed at ~ would mean that dead in bed in his home at because they thought his mittee of Atomic Scientists to lobby for peace, with a mem­ the same time, he quipped we re emitted in the fission , Calif. He was 66. name would attract attention. plead for international con­ bership of 100,000 persons that "It will take my col­ process of . and this. Dr. Szilard was a short. Dr. Szilard composed the trol of "the unleashed power with an average annual in­ leagues at least 15 years to " in turn, would mean that heavy m1n, with a maf> sive letter which Dr. Einstein of the atom." come of $7,500. Each would prove t hem wrong." _ tbe large-scale liberation of head, \\'hose moods ranged signed. It began : One of his propos2 ls to in­ give 2 per cent of his income He was a trusted adviser atomic energy was just sure peace was that the to promote peace. of Dr. Jonas Salk and was , from ebullience to irascibility "Some recent work by appointed a non-resident . around the corner. We and who had a gift _for the E. Fermi and L. Szilard, the and Rus­ Dr. Szilard was not only turned the switch and we sia each give the other the fellow of the Salk Institute : epigram which d • flates an which has been communi­ brilliant, but had the strength for Biological Studies in saw the flashes. We watched ego, includiag his own as cated to me in manuscript, population of a major city of his convictions. When an them for a little while and Dr. Leo Szilard as hostages against a nuclear 1962. He retired from the often as not. leads me to expect that the ailment was diagnosed as a few : then we switched everything element uranium may be war. cancer of the bladder, he Dr. Szilard was born in Many other scientists con­ months ago and moved _to : off and went home. That , Hungary, and be­ tmned into a new andr project at the University of vetoed his doctors' decision night I knew the world was sidered his warnings extreme La Jolla as a resident !el-., came one of an enormously important source of energy Chicago, wheere their efforts to operate and prescribed low of the institute. headed for grief." ln the immediate future. and his solution bizarre, but X-ray treatment for it. He talented band of Hungarian Dr. Szilard was not swayed by His most recent work was Then Dr. Szilard helped Jewish scientists who left Certain aspects of the situa­ led to the development of survived the cancer. the crowd. One of hi'.!~ pithy a paper "Qn Memory and·. guide the world into the their native land to pursue tion which has arisen seem the atomic bomb. Dr. Szllard became an Recall," resulting from his · atomic age with its grief and to call for watchfulness and, comments concerned demo­ American citizen In 1943 and their studies in the great Even before the first two cracy and education: theoretical work on opera­ terror, but always trying to if necessary, quick action on atomic bombs were used, Dr. was appointed professor of turn the awesome nuclear German uniwrsities. They in­ tion of the central nervous ' cluded the late Dr. tJhe part of the Administra­ Szilard was urging interna­ OUTSPOKEN biophysics at the University system. It is to be published ' discove ry into a promise of tion. I believe therefore that tional control of the new en­ of hicago in 1946. He took a in three parts __in The Pro- ' a richer and better era. Theodore von Karman and Dr. ; Dr. it is my duty to bring to ergy. In March, 1945, he "I'm all in favor of the leave from the university in ceedings of the National DEVOTED . father of the your attention the following wrote a memorandum to democratic principle that one 1959 to work on a public Academy of Sciences. The ~ atom bomb: Dr. Eugene P. facts and recommendations." President Roosevelt, advo­ idiot is as good as ont genius, health grant in New York first part is to appear in the Wi th a group of other sci­ Wigner. this year's Nobel A warning followed, which cating reciprocal control by but I draw the line when City. He had also held a pro­ June issue. entists, he persuaded Dr. laureate in phystcs. and Dr. sounds naive today: the United States. Russia and someone takes the next step fessorship at Brandeis Uni­ His wife, Dr. Gertrud to write to Albert Szent-Gyorgyi, emi­ "This new phenomenon Great Britain. "We would and concludes that two idiots versity since W53. Weiss Szilard, was his phy­ President Franklin D. Roose­ are better than one genius.'' In April, 1960, Dr. Szilard, nent b1ologist. would also lead to the con­ then perhaps have a chance sician and attended him at velt about the possibilities of Wi•th the rise of Hitler of ljving through this century He appeared continually on Dr. Zinn and Dr. Alvin M. . the time of his death. nuclear fission, expressing struction of bombs, and it they left Germany, one by ls conceivable-though much without having ouar cities the belief that it could lead to one. Dr. Szilard went to destroyed," he said. construction of bombs and less certain-that extremely England, where he began powerful bombs of a new type warning that Nazi Germany work in nuclear , but PERSISTENT was already working on the rna y thus be constructed." left because of the '·betrayal Dr. Szilard, Dr. Fermi and In November. 1947, he tried process. 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