Роман Зинзер - 25 Famous Letters. Книга для чтения на английском языке

The Einstein–Szilárd letter

Old Grove Rd.Nassau PointPeconic, Long Island

August 2nd, 1939

F.D. Roosevelt,President of the United States,White House Washington, D.C.

Sir:

Some recent work by E. Fermi and L. Szilard, which has been communicated to me in manuscript, leads me to expect that the element uranium may be turned into| превращен | a new and important source of energy in the immediate| ближайшем | future. Certain aspects of the situation which has arisen seem to call for watchfulness| призвать к бдительности | and, if necessary, quick action on the part of the Administration| Правительства |. I believe therefore that it is my duty to bring to your attention the following facts and recommendations:

In the course of the last four months it has been made probable| сделано возможным | – through the work of Joliot in France as well as Fermi and Szilard in America – that it may become possible to set up a nuclear chain reaction in a large mass of uranium by which vast amounts of power and large quantities of new radium-like| радий-подобных | elements would be generated. Now it appears almost certain that this could be achieved in the immediate future.

This phenomenon would also lead to the construction of bombs, and it is conceivable| возможно | – though much less certain – that extremely powerful bombs of a new type may thus be constructed. A single bomb of this type, carried by boat and exploded in a port, might very well destroy the whole port together with some of the surrounding territory. However, such bombs might very well prove| вполне могут оказаться | to be too heavy for transportation by air.

The United States has only very poor ores| руды | of uranium in moderate quantities. There is some good ore in Canada and the former Czechoslovakia, while the most important source of uranium is Belgian Congo.

In view of this situation you may think it desirable to have some permanent contact maintained| поддерживаемый | between the Administration and the group of physicists working on chain reactions in America. One possible way of achieving this might be for you to entrust with this task a person who has your confidence and who could perhaps serve in an inofficial capacity| в неофициальном качестве |. His task might comprise| содержать в себе | the following:

a) to approach Government Departments, keep them informed of the further development, and put forward recommendations for Government action, giving particular attention to the problem of securing a supply of uranium ore for the United States.

b) to speed up the experimental work, which is at present being carried on within the limits of the budgets of University laboratories, by providing funds, if such funds be required, through his contacts with private persons who are willing to make contributions for this cause, and perhaps also by obtaining the co-operation of industrial laboratories which have the necessary equipment.

I understand that Germany has actually stopped the sale of uranium from the Czechoslovakian mines which she has taken over| захватила |. That she should have taken| То, что Германия предприняла | such early action might perhaps be understood on the ground| на почве того | that the son of the German Under-Secretary of State, von Weizsäcker, is attached to the Kaiser-Wilhelm-Institut in Berlin where some of the American work on uranium is now being repeated.

Yours very truly,

Albert Einstein

Ричард Фейнман. Еще один физик, еще один Нобелевский лауреат, человек, которого привычно называть «гений». Фейнман родился в 1918 году, а в 1944-м его отобрали для участия в «Манхэттенском проекте» по разработке атомной бомбы – том самом, на котором настаивал Эйнштейн в письме выше. У Ричарда Фейнмана была любовь всей его жизни – Арлин, и до отъезда в Лос-Аламос – местечко, где физики со всех США корпели над оружием будущего, Фейнман женился на Арлин.

Нет, никакого хэппи-энда в этой истории любви нет. Арлин была смертельно больна туберкулезом. Все родичи Фейнмана были против этого брака, но Фейнман плюнул на всех и все равно женился на своей Арлин (он частенько потом так делал. Почитайте его биографию). В июне 1945 года Арлин умерла, и спустя 16 месяцев Фейман написал ей письмо, которое было вскрыто только после смерти самого Ричарда Фейнмана в 1988 году.

Итак. Физик Ричард Фейнман и его письмо жене Арлин. Письмо несколько напыщенное и слезливое и не вполне в духе того, что писал Фейнман после (а он был очень веселым и остроумным товарищем), но кто я такой, чтобы ставить ему эту напыщенность в упрек?

D’Arline, |сокращение Dear|

I adore you, sweetheart.

I know how much you like to hear that – but I don’t only write it because you like it – I write it because it makes me warm all over inside to write it to you.

It is such a terribly long time since I last| в последний раз | wrote to you – almost two years but I know you’ll excuse me because you understand how I am, stubborn and realistic; and I thought there was no sense to writing.

But now I know my darling wife that it is right to do what I have delayed in doing| откладывал, чтобы сделать |, and that I have done so much in the past. I want to tell you I love you. I want to love you. I always will love you.

I find it hard to understand in my mind what it means to love you after you are dead – but I still want to comfort| утешать, успокаивать | and take care of you – and I want you to love me and care for me. I want to have problems to discuss with you – I want to do little projects with you. I never thought until just now that we can do that. What should we do. We started to learn to make clothes together – or learn Chinese – or getting a movie projector. Can’t I do something now? No. I am alone without you and you were the “idea-woman” and general instigator| вдохновитель | of all our wild adventures.

When you were sick you worried because you could not give me something that you wanted to and thought I needed. You needn’t have worried. Just as I told you then there was no real need because I loved you in so many ways so much. And now it is clearly even more true – you can give me nothing now yet| но все же | I love you so that you stand in my way| стоишь на пути | of loving anyone else – but I want you to stand there. You, dead, are so much better than anyone else alive.