Final answer:
Leo Szilard faced bureaucratic red tape, which includes cumbersome procedures and rules, after warning President Roosevelt of the potential German development of atomic bombs, leading to increased scrutiny and security investigations affecting scientists' careers.
Step-by-step explanation:
After physicist Leo Szilard met with President Franklin Roosevelt to warn of the German potential to build powerful new bombs, Szilard faced the complexities of bureaucratic red tape. The bureaucracy can often slow processes down with its procedures and rules that must be followed to get something done, known as red tape. This cumbersome system is intended to ensure bureaucracies function as intended but often leads to frustration for those navigating its channels. In the context of the development of atomic weapons and the subsequent espionage and security concerns, scientists like Szilard and J. Robert Oppenheimer experienced the severe consequences of bureaucratic controls, including investigations and loyalty programs that scrutinized personal lives and led to the dismissal of government employees and security clearance revocations based on suspicion. This environment fostered a climate of fear among scientists and other professionals, affecting their work and personal freedoms.