The letter had been drafted in early August 1939 but as the days and weeks passed he heard nothing from Sachs. In the meantime, war in Europe had begun. When Szilard and Wigner visited Sachs towards the end of September, they discovered to their dismay that Sachs still had the letter in his possession. He had tried repeatedly to gain an audience with Roosevelt to discuss the matter, but had not so far managed to get past Roosevelt’s secretary. Sachs finally gained access to Roosevelt in the Oval Office on 11 October. He prepared the ground with a parable about Napoleon, and this prompted Roosevelt to ask for a carafe of Napoleon brandy and a couple of glasses. As Sachs sipped brandy with Roosevelt he tried to present a verbal summary of the content of Einstein’s letter. But Roosevelt appeared distracted and inattentive, and asked if Sachs could return the next day. Fearing he had blown his chance, he returned next morning with some trepidation. But this time Roosevelt was ready and willing to listen.
