Szilard petition

E96397

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.

All labels observed (2)

Label Occurrences
Szilard petition canonical 1
Szilárd petition 1

How this entity was disambiguated

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historical document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
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
linked to: Szilard petition
hasAuthor Leó Szilárd
linked to: Leo Szilard
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
linked to: Leo Szilard

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

How these facts were elicited

Referenced by (2)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Leo Szilard organized Szilard petition
Szilard petition hasAlternativeName Szilárd petition
linked to: Szilard petition