In 1939 German émigré and noted scientist, Albert Einstein penned a letter to President Franklin Roosevelt. At the time Einstein was recognized as one of the world's foremost physicists, and unlike other prominent physicists such as Enrico Fermi or Leo Szilard, was well known among non-scientific circle. Einstein's letter came at the behest of several prominent physicists, including Szilard who recognized the destructive potential of atomic energy.

Einstein was a pacifist, but unlike today's modern leftists, recognized a threat when he saw one and to Einstein the Nazis represented a dangerous threat to the peace of the world. Einstein warned of the dangers of atomic energy and its potential as a weapon, something the Nazi, who had a penchant for experimental weaponry, had already grown to appreciate. There was much skepticism in DC and the Manhattan project didn't launch until the last days of 1941. After 3 years of secretive research and experimentation, at a cost of $2 billion ($20 billion in today's dollars), the US atomic bomb project was complete and ready for use.

That was over 60 years ago, today, nations like Iran have toiled for decades in pursuit of a bomb, with technology that is widely understood and freely accessible among military and civilian circles, so what is the hold up? If a country desires a bomb and has the financial resources, yet fails to deliver can we assume that they are more than 60 years behind the
times?