Einstein - On the Abolition of the Threat of War

In a conversation Einstein had with Linus Pauling, he mentioned “I made one great mistake in my life... when I signed the letter to President Roosevelt recommending that atom bombs be made; but there was some justification - the danger that the Germans would make them.”

In seeing this quote, and the letter to FDR, I wondered what Einstein's thoughts and questions may have been when he deliberated this decision to sign the letter. This was a time in history, when humanity was subjugated beyond anything it had ever known, the crisis of war made an easy catalyst to pursue the technological advancements of arms. Humanity was pitted against survival in a difficult wager for life. 

The signing of this letter was a significant event in history and for Einstein, as he made it his life work to actively pursue a campaign for peace and the abolition of nuclear weapons.

As with Pauling a noble prize recipient for Chemistry, he was known as a courageous champion of peace and civil liberties.