Leo Szilard's 'A Petition To The President Of The United States'

Benjamin Barlow
Professor Lombardi
English 102
February 21, 2016
Leo Szilard’s “A Petition to the President of the United States” This appeal to stop the use of the atomic bomb was written by Louis Szilard and endorsed by 58 credible scientists that all worked in the nuclear energy field and were largely responsible for the creation of the atomic bomb. Once they were reaching the end of their research and had created a working atom bomb, the realization of the true power and destruction that it contained was enough to convince them that it should not be used. They came together to try to caution President Truman on the use of the bomb during war. “A Petition to the President of the United States” was the result. The petition uses the three

The facts do not go into much detail however, the author knew that his audience was very familiar with the topic so there was no need to explain every detail. The available facts focus on what the effects will be of using the atomic bomb and then a background of what is going on in the war. The writer tries to focus the attention on his side of the argument by citing examples from earlier in the war. Szilard describes the Allies tactics, “using the same methods of warfare which were condemned by American public opinion only a few years ago”

Szilard shows the seriousness of the situation in his closing statement, the United States “may have to bear the responsibility of opening the door to an era of devastation on an unimaginable scale” (Szilard). Showing that the responsibility will have to be carried by the Country if the President decides to use the bomb is another appeal to the emotion to ensure that the reader fully realizes the importance of the decision. With all of the support to the authors side, Szilard also shows the opposing side by acknowledging that there may be a point that the President will be forced to use the atomic bomb. By displaying both sides of the argument, the author shows that the petition is fairly portraying all the facts. The success of the petition lies in the ability of the author to convey his position on the use of the atomic bomb while at the same time acknowledging that situations exist where he may have to change this position. He skillfully appeals to the emotion of the reader by showing the history of the war and how the current efforts are getting dangerously close to the same tactics that the United States had previously condemned. The ability to obtain such a large support for the petition might be the authors greatest success in support of the