The Pugwash movement - Science - August 1986

UNESCO Courier, Dec, 2001 by Joseph Rotblat

THE direct initiative for the Pugwash Movement came not from a scientist but from the British philosopher Bertrand Russell. In 1955, the world situation appeared highly dangerous and the outlook for mankind very gloomy. The development of the hydrogen bomb in the United States and the Soviet Union marked the start of the nuclear arms race, with both sides manufacturing and testing bombs of ever-increasing destructive power. Even at that time, before the advent of ballistic missiles, these bombs delivered by manned aircraft could annihilate the largest centres of population. In the climate of intense mistrust, fear, and hostile propaganda which then prevailed, it seemed highly probable that the cold war would change into a hot war in which civilization would be destroyed.

It was in these circumstances that the Russell-Einstein Manifesto was born. Russell conceived the idea that the scientific community should be actively concerned about the dangers to humanity which arose largely through the work of scientists. At that time the greatest living scientist was Albert Einstein, and Russell wrote to him with the idea of convening a conference of eminent scientists for this purpose. Einstein immediately agreed and asked Russell to prepare a draft of a suitable statement. This Russell did and in April 1955 sent it to Einstein for his signature.

Later that month, Russell was flying from Rome to Paris, when the pilot announced to the passengers that Einstein had died. Russell was shattered, because he feared that without Einstein's sponsorship the whole project would collapse. But when Russell arrived at his hotel in Paris, a letter with Einstein's signature to the statement was waiting for him. Signing it had been one of the last acts of the great scientist's life. In this dramatic way the Pugwash Movement began. The signatures of nine other scientists from six countries were obtained, and on 9 July 1955 the Manifesto was issued at a press conference held at Caxton Hall in London.

The press conference was attended by a very large number of media representatives from all over the world; it was a great success and received huge publicity. This in turn brought a flood of letters and cables from individuals and groups endorsing the Manifesto and offering help. One of the letters was from Mr. Cyrus Eaton, a Canadian-American industrialist, offering to finance the conference of scientists which was called for in the Manifesto, and suggesting that it be held at his birthplace, Pugwash, a small fishing village in Nova Scotia.

In his offer of help Eaton made it clear that while the participants would be his guests they would be completely independent; that the preparatory work and organization would be handled by Russell and his colleagues, and that the conduct and proceedings of the Conference would be left entirely to the participants.

The first of the series of conferences of scientists held under the aegis of the Russell-Einstein Manifesto took place in Pugwash in July 1957. The twenty-two participants came from ten countries, including the United States, the United Kingdom, France, the Soviet Union, China and Poland. The work was divided among three committees, with the following topics: hazards arising from the use of atomic energy in peace and war; control of nuclear weapons; and the social responsibility of scientists.

The possible hazard from the radioactive fall-out from nuclear weapons tests was a major issue at that time, and it was of considerable Importance that such an international group of scientists, covering a wide range of political opinion, managed to reach unanimous agreement on the quantitative assessment of the consequences of large-scale testing of nuclear weapons. The most controversial issue was the discussion in the committee on the control of nuclear weapons, because this included the whole area of arms limitations and reductions, and the steps needed to achieve general and complete disarmament, topics which were to occupy most of the time of future Pugwash Conferences. But there was unanimous agreement that scientists can and ought to contribute to the debate on these problems.

The committee on the social responsibility of scientists was also unanimous in its findings, which took the form of a statement of common beliefs. The fact that a long statement, dealing in some detail with the most controversial issues of the day, and setting out the role and responsibility of scientists, was accepted by such a diverse group of scientists, was in itself of great significance. This was probably the first time that a truly international conference, organized by scientists, with participants from East and West, had been convened to discuss not purely technical matters but the social implications of scientific discovery.

The first Pugwash Conference proved that scientists have a common purpose which can transcend national frontiers without violating basic loyalties. It had shown that, by virtue of their training and their knowledge, scientists are capable of discussing objectively the complex problems which have arisen from the progress of science, with the aim of finding a solution to these problems.