The upcoming auction of artefacts belonging to Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen is set to include a letter from Albert Einstein that played a pivotal role in the development of the world’s first nuclear bombs. The letter, written in 1939 to President Franklin D Roosevelt, warned of the possibility of Nazi Germany creating atomic weapons and urged the US to start its own atomic program.
Three years later, the Manhattan Project was launched, leading to the use of atomic weapons against Japan in 1945. The letter, signed by Einstein but actually written by physicist Leo Szilard, is expected to be the centrepiece of the auction at Christie’s in New York in September, with an estimated value of $4m to $6m.
Interestingly, Einstein is said to have later regretted the letter, as it ultimately led to America becoming the only country at the time to possess nuclear weapons. Other items up for auction include a computer from 1971 similar to those used by Allen and Bill Gates when they founded Microsoft, as well as a spacesuit worn by astronaut Ed White during the first American spacewalk in 1965.
Paul Allen’s philanthropic legacy is also highlighted, with proceeds from the auction going towards charitable causes as per his wishes. His net worth at the time of his death was estimated at over $20bn, and he had donated more than $2bn to various charitable endeavors during his lifetime.
