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I am not saying the U.S. should not manufacture and stockpile the bomb, for I believe that it must do so; it must be able to deter another nation from making an atomic attack.

The complexity of nuclear weapons entering the geopolitical scene caused thinking pacifists like Einstein to run their logic in circles. While Einstein unequivocally supported nuclear disarmament, such an undertaking would have to be agreed to on all sides for it to be practical.

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My participation in the production of the atomic bomb consisted of one single act: I signed a letter to President Roosevelt in which I emphasized the necessity of conducting large-scale experimentation with regard to the feasibility of producing an atom bomb… I felt impelled to take the step because it seemed probable that the Germans might be working on the same problem with every prospect of success. I had no alternative to act as I did, although I have always been a convinced pacifist.

The letter that Einstein referenced here he sent in 1939, and for the rest of his life, the popular misperception that he was the “father of the atomic bomb” haunted Einstein. The Roosevelt letter was a significant factor in the launching of a nuclear program to try to beat the Nazis to the technology.

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Real progress has never been possible without sacrifices… As long as nations systematically continue to prepare for war, fear, distrust and selfish ambitions will lead to war again.

Einstein believe that achieve world peace, nations would have to give up some of their sovereignty to a world government. That’s the sacrifice he mentioned here.

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I am a dedicated but not an absolute pacifist; this means that I am opposed to the use of force under any circumstances except when confronted by an enemy who pursues the destruction of life as an end in itself .

Here was Einstein explaining in 1953 the reason he had to relent and support the use of force against the Nazis.

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The more a country makes military weapons, the more insecure it becomes: if you have weapons, you become a target for attack.

This comes from a 1953 interview, with an aging Einstein becoming increasingly wary of the arms race that characterized the Cold War.

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I believe that the killing of human beings in a war is no better than common murder.

Einstein told this to Japanese magazine Kaizo in 1952.

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The crime of the Germans is truly the most abominable ever to be recorded in the history of the so-called civilized nations. The conduct of the German intellectuals—seen as a group—was no better than that of the mob.

Again, Einstein sees no reason to let the intelligentsia off the hook for the actions of their governments. This quote comes from 1949, and Einstein never forgave Germany or the Germans for the Holocaust and World War II.

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People are living now just as they were before… and it is clear that they have learned nothing from the horrors they have had to deal with. The little intrigues with which they had complicated their lives before are again taking up most of their thoughts. What a strange species we are.

Einstein gave his thoughts on post-World War II life in December, 1945.

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The bombing of civilian centers was initiated by the Germans and adopted by the Japanese. To it, the Allies responded in kind—as it turned out, with greater effectiveness—and they were morally justified in doing so.

This was part of a 1947 Atlantic Monthly series “Einstein on the Atomic Bomb.”

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It is unworthy of a great nation to stand idly by while small countries of great culture are being destroyed with a cynical contempt for justice.

Einstein delivered this message as part of a speech during a peace meeting in New York’s Madison Square Garden in 1938.

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