Previous image preload Next image preload
Back to catalog
Lot 95
image_0 image_1
Leslie Groves & Vannevar Bush, Atomic Bomb Leaders Tied Together in One Letter
Leslie Groves & Vannevar Bush, Atomic Bomb Leaders Tied Together in One Letter
image_0 image_1
Description:

Groves Leslie



Leslie Groves & Vannevar Bush, Atomic Bomb Leaders Tied Together in One Letter

 

“It is a hard job to write a book...but the principal reward is when some friend tells me that it was worth doing.”

 

Typed Letter Signed, to Leslie R. Groves Jr., January 4, 1968. 1 p., 8" x 10.5". Very good.

 

Excerpt

“I showed your nice letter of 26 November about my book to Helen King of the William Morrow Company, and now she tells me she would like to quote from it in some connection. I wonder if you would mind if this occurred? She is trying to get it used in schools, and I think she may have some success.”

[Groves in margin:] “OK”

 

“I certainly appreciated that letter. It is a hard job to write a book, as you well know, but the principal reward is when some friend tells me that it was worth doing.”

 

Historical Background

In 1967, Vannevar Bush published Science is Not Enough with the William Morrow Company of New York. A reviewer described the book: “Like the career of its illustrious author, the volume before us has a scope, a breadth, and a depth that are nothing short of prodigious.” The book, at only 192 pages, consisted of ten essays on a wide range of topics. The same reviewer declared, “Every page sparkles with some flash of humor, some gem of wisdom, some penetrating barb at human foibles, softened by the kindly phrase that reveals the author’s sympathetic understanding of human nature.”

 

In one passage in Science in Not Enough, Bush writes, “Science proves nothing absolutely. On the most vital questions, it does not even produce evidence.” He continues, “But is all the labor of science vain to the thinker, the seeker after a sure harbor, amid the mystery, evil, cruelty, majesty, that surrounds us? By no means. Science here does two things. It renders us humble. And it paints a universe in which the mysteries become highlighted, in which constraints on imagination and speculation have been removed....”

 

 

Vannevar Bush (1890-1973) was born in Massachusetts and graduated from Tufts University in 1913 with both a bachelor’s and master’s degree in science. He received a Ph.D. in electrical engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Harvard University in 1916. He taught at MIT from 1922 to 1932, when he became vice president and dean of the school of engineering. During the 1920s, Bush patented several inventions related to electricity that made him wealthy. In 1939, he became president of the Carnegie Institution of Washington and later that year of the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics. In 1940, Bush proposed a National Defense Research Committee to enhance communication between civilian scientists and the military. President Franklin D. Roosevelt approved the idea with Bush as chairman. In June 1941, Roosevelt created the successor Office of Scientific Research and Development, again with Bush as director. Bush played a critical role in persuading the U.S. government to develop an atomic bomb. He was present at the Trinity nuclear test in July 1945 and advocated the use of the atomic bomb against Japan. His “As We May Think” article published in 1945 proposed a form of augmented memory that was a major influence on later developers of the computer mouse and of hypertext and hypermedia. With the end of the Office of Scientific Research and Development in 1947, Bush advocated for a peacetime organization, which led to the creation of the National Science Foundation in 1950.

 

Leslie R. Groves Jr. (1896-1970) was a United States Army General with the Corps of Engineers who oversaw the construction of the Pentagon and directed the Manhattan Project that developed the atomic bomb during World War II. Born in New York to a Protestant pastor who became an army chaplain, Groves graduated from the United States Military Academy in 1918 in a course shortened because of World War I. He entered the Corps of Engineers and gained promotions to major by 1940. In 1941, he was charged with overseeing the construction of the Pentagon, the largest office building in the world, with more than five million square feet. Disappointed that he had not received a combat assignment, Groves instead took charge of the Manhattan Project, designed to develop an atomic bomb. He continued nominally to supervise the Pentagon project to avoid suspicion, gained promotion to brigadier general, and began his work in September 1942. The project headquarters was initially in the War Department building in Washington, but in August 1943, moved to Oak Ridge, Tennessee. He and physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer selected the site in Los Alamos, New Mexico, for a laboratory, and Groves pushed successfully for Oppenheimer to be placed in charge. Groves was in charge of obtaining critical uranium ores internationally and collecting military intelligence on Axis atomic research. Promoted to major general in March 1944, Groves received the Distinguished Service Medal for his work on the Manhattan Project after the war. In 1947, Groves became chief of the Armed Forces Special Weapons Project. He received a promotion to lieutenant general in January 1948, just days before meeting with Army Chief of Staff Dwight D. Eisenhower, who reviewed a long list of complaints against Groves. Assured that he would not become Chief of Engineers, Groves retired in February 1948. From 1948 to 1961, he was a vice president of Sperry Rand, an equipment and electronics firm. After retirement, he served as president of the West Point alumni association and wrote a book on the Manhattan Project, published in 1962.

 

Ex. Leslie Groves Family, Christies Auction.

 



WE PROVIDE IN-HOUSE SHIPPING WORLDWIDE.

Accepted Forms of Payment:

American Express, Discover, MasterCard, Money Order / Cashiers Check, Paypal, Personal Check, Visa, Wire Transfer

Shipping

We do our own in-house worldwide shipping!

Applicable shipping and handling charges will be added to the invoice. We offer several shipping options, and remain one of the few auction houses who proudly provides professional in-house shipping as an option to our clients. All items will ship with signature required, and full insurance. Most items are sent via Federal Express, with P. O. Box addresses being sent through USPS. We insure through Berkley Asset Protection with rates of $.70 per $100 of value, among the lowest insurance rates in the industry. Our shipping department cameras document every package, both outgoing and incoming, for maximum security. In addition, we compare our shipping and handling rates against those of other auction houses, to ensure that our charges are among the lowest in the trade.

Upon winning your item(s), you will receive an invoice with our in-house shipping and handling fees included. ***We will ship to the address as it appears on your invoice, unless you inform us otherwise, immediately upon your receipt of invoice***

Third Party Shipping Option: If a third party shipper is preferred, the buyer is responsible for contacting them directly to make shipping arrangements. For your convenience, we have provided some recommended shippers. For your protection, we will require a signed release from you, confirming your authorization for us to release your lots to your specified third party. At that point, our responsibility and insurance coverage for your item(s) ceases. Items picked up by third party shippers are required to pay Connecticut sales tax. Items requiring third party shipping due to being oversized, fragile or bulky will be denoted in the item description.

***Please contact our office for information on third party shippers***


After payment has been made in full, University Archives will ship your purchase within 5 business days following receipt of full payment for item.Packages shipped internationally will have full value declared on shipping form. International buyers will be responsible for any customs fees incurred.

Please remember that the buyer is responsible for all shipping costs from University Archives' offices in Westport, CT to the buyer's door. Please see full Terms and Conditions of Sale.

University Archives

You agree to pay a buyer's premium of 25% and any applicable taxes and shipping.

View full terms and conditions

Bid Increments
From: To: Increments:
$0 $99 $10
$100 $299 $20
$300 $499 $25
$500 $999 $50
$1,000 $1,999 $100
$2,000 $2,999 $200
$3,000 $4,999 $250
$5,000 $9,999 $500
$10,000 $19,999 $1,000
$20,000 $49,999 $2,500
$50,000 + $5,000