Albert Einstein's Declaration of Intention to Become U.S. Citizen (1936)

Albert Einstein, the iconic German-born physicist and Nobel Prize winner visited the United States in 1933. During his visit, Adolf Hitler came to power so Einstein did not return to Europe. In this document dated January 15, 1936, Einstein filed his Declaration of intention to become and American Citizen, which he became in 1940. A few months prior, Einstein had written a letter to President Roosevelt alerting the President to the potential development of "extremely powerful bombs of a new type" and recommending that the U.S. begin nuclear research, which eventually led to the Manhattan Project. While Einstein supported the Allies during WWII, he was also vocal about the dangers of using nuclear weapons. Einstein worked at Princeton University until his death in 1955.

 

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About the Author

Ari Siegel is the founder and CEO of HistoryByMail.com and
HistoricCartoons.com. After growing up hearing WWII stories from both of his
grandfathers, he studied history at the University of Michigan. While working
in Washington D.C. and giving tours of the U.S. Capitol building, he was
inspired to take some of the thousands of historic documents that belong to the
American people, and make them more accessible.