19/12/2024
向長崎投下原子彈的前夕，三名參與曼哈頓計劃的物理學家回憶起與舊同事嵯峨根遼吉在美國共事的美好時光。那時，日本當局還在調查三天前到底是甚麼前所未見的炸彈把廣島夷平。抱著能遊說舊同事嵯峨根利用其影響力說服日本軍方停止戰爭的希望，他們把一封未簽署的私人信件繫於即將要投在長崎近郊的衝擊波測量器上，讓信件隨儀器在投擲原子彈前數分鐘前被投出。
在表明投擲在廣島的是原子彈後，他們寫道：「……我們懇求你［以著名核子物理學家的身份］向你們領袖說明以上的事實，並在盡你所能阻止進一步的毀滅和人命犧牲，事情如果繼續下去，你們國土的所有城市只會被夷為平地。作為科學家，對於要把一個原本美麗的發現派上現在的用途，我們心感痛恨，但除非日本投降，我們保證在憤怒中這如雨下的原子彈只會在未來以倍數增加。」
信件最後在長崎以外50公里的地方被一名海軍士兵撿到。士兵把信件翻譯並轉送至司令部，並冒死建議軍方結束戰爭。一個月後，信件終於在日本投降後交到嵯峨根手上。嵯峨根把副本寄回寄件人Luis Alvarez，Alvarez隨後在上面簽名，在1949年與嵯峨根在加州大學重逢時再一次交到他手上。
Before the atomic bomb was dropped on Nagasaki, three physicists who participated in the Manhattan Project thought of their good old days in the United States with their former colleague, Ryokichi Sagane. At that time, Japan was still trying to figure out the nature of the novel bomb that destroyed Hiroshima three days earlier. In hopes of convincing their influential ex-colleague to persuade the Japanese leaders to stop the war, they attached an unsigned personal message to a shockwave gauge that was dropped on the outskirt of Nagasaki, minutes before the atomic bomb.
After stating that it was atomic bomb, “…We implore you to confirm these facts to your leaders [as a reputable nuclear physicist], and to do your utmost to stop the destruction and waste of life which can only result in the total annihilation of all your cities, if continued. As scientists, we deplore the use to which a beautiful discovery has been put, but we can assure you that unless Japan surrenders at once, this rain of atomic bombs will increase manyfold in fury”, they wrote.
The letter eventually landed 50km from Nagasaki, and was translated by a naval officer who forwarded the message to the headquarters with the suggestion to end the war at the risk of his own life. A month later, the letter reached Sagane after Japan surrendered. Sagane sent a copy back to the sender Luis Alvarez, who then signed the letter and handed it back to Sagane when they met again at the University of California in 1949.
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