In 1938, German physicists were able to split the atom while conducting experiments in nuclear fission. This sudden advancement scared scientists, who suddenly saw H.G. Well's scary prediction of an atomic bomb becoming a reality. Scientists like Fermi tried to warn officials in Washington of this development, but no heed was paid to them. Later, Szilard, Teller, and Wigner, in a letter sent to Roosevelt via Albert Einstein, declared their reluctance to build a bomb.