| OCR Text |
Show 70 their results until 1949 when they published a lengthy ll2 page report of their important work. Since that time, Eyring has been a recognized con- tributor and authority in detonation theory. This work also provided an important foundation for studies he would take up on explosives later in his career. A major undertaking of Princeton's scientists during the war was the work on the famous Manhattan Project. While Eyring was not involved in this work directly, he frequently consulted with Hugh Taylor on the sep- aration of uranium isotopes and with Eugene Wigner on the properties of uranium. Here again his absolute rate theory was an important tool in these discussions. Eyring admits that he was surprised and in fact did not expect the work on the atomic bomb to materialize soon enough to influence the war's outcome.43 The use of the atomic bomb in Japan is one of the few public controversial issues on which Eyring openly expressed his views. He definitely felt that the bomb should not have been used and wrote letters to Congress expressing these feelings.44 Eyring felt that the United States should maintain an "isolationist" position in regard to the war in Europe. This position, however, did not mean that he was unwilling to work hard in behalf of the war effort, as we have seen, and when pressured, he affirmed that the United States should fight. In fact his basic stance was that the surest road to peace for America was for her to be strong militarily, a position he has maintained since World War 11.45 He believed that those who are stong enough don't have to fight. Eyring wanted to aid his country in any possible positive way. He was offered a chance to go to Europe after the war as a military officer to obtain information on the scientific secrets of the Third Reich. |
