SIX ITEMS RELATING TO EARLY ATOMIC WEAPON DEVELOPMENT
1945/1946. Six items relating to the immediate reactions of the development of atomic weapons.
The first are two small cards signed by David Lilienthal. One is a flat signature, the other is inscribed and dated August 13, 1945. The inscribed card has some light offsetting from a newspaper headshot of Lilienthal.
The second is a sheet of paper, folded twice horizontally, with Santa Fe, New Mexico letterhead, briefly inscribed "with thanks / J R Oppenheimer" in pencil. The sheet has some light offsetting from a newspaper clipping.
The third is a typed letter signed, folded once horizontally, by Harry A. Winne on General Electric letterhead. Dated November 5, 1946, he discusses the Atomic Energy Commission and his hope that "you and your generation will not have to live under the shadow of an atomic armament race..." Together with the envelope is a copy of 'A Report on the International Control of Atomic Energy', inscribed by Winne on November 1, 1946.
Fourth is a second copy of 'A Report on the International Control of Atomic Energy', along with a request to the Department of State to mail a copy and the original envelope.
Letters are in Very Good condition with light wear. Light age toning to envelopes. KW Consignment. Shelved case 0.
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NOTES
In 1946 Secretary of State Dean Acheson appointed Charles A. Thomas, Robert Oppenheimer, David Lilienthal, Chester I. Barnard and Harry Winne to appraise international atomic inspection, culminating in the Acheson–Lilienthal Report.
David Eli Lilienthal was an American attorney and public administrator, best known for his Presidential Appointment to head Tennessee Valley Authority and later the Atomic Energy Commission (AEC).
J. Robert Oppenheimer was an American theoretical physicist who served as the wartime head of the Los Alamos Laboratory and is often credited as the "father of the atomic bomb" for his role in the Manhattan Project.
From the Stephen May Autograph Collection. As a youth in the 1940's, Stephen May (1931-2016) collected autographs of famous people, identifying individuals through Who's Who publications and contacting them with a thoughtful, lengthy, well-researched letter introducing himself, acknowledging the individuals’ accomplishments, asking one or two pertinent questions and, finally, requesting that they return a signature. Some responded simply with an autograph on a provided 3x5 card while others included bonus material with the signature in the form of a poem, letter, friendly greeting, or words of advice for the teenage boy. Steve's collecting hobby became known among his family and wider circle of friends in the city of Rochester, NY, where his father, Arthur J. May, taught European history at the University of Rochester, and his mother, Hilda Jones May, was active in the community. Eventually, more people helped Steve in his pursuit, which accounts for the signatures with dates before or after the mid-40's and without the prompting of a letter from him. A few signatures are from the 19th century. The collection is a broad representation of the people and forces that shaped our world, and the culture, accomplishments, and innovations of the first half the 20th century.