BoomerZoo Almanac for January 21-27, 2007: Why I never learned to stop worrying and love the bomb

The Emergency Committee of Atomic Scientists—half of whom had actually worked on the Manhattan Project—originated in the first Year of the Baby Boomer, 1946. The goal of this group of scientists was to get the political types to take steps toward establishing some kind of worldwide system to govern, if not daily affairs, at least those that might lead to the annihilation of the human race. Albert Einstein himself, as Chairman of this Committee, sent out the fundraising letter reproduced here 60 years ago this week.

Timing is everything, and the scientists’ timing sucked, of course. The politicians were perfectly happy to be browbeaten by an idiot senator, and Americans were perfectly happy to go buy a house in [1] and put a new washer and dryer into it, start popping out kids and stop worrying about the bomb. And let’s face it: we won with that bomb. Why should we give up our best bit of hardware, especially when all those other people were copying us?

The Committee threw in the towel in 1950, but the Baby Boomers (and many of their immediate predecessors) got the message. All we were saying is give peace a chance.  

We are still having trouble giving peace a chance, so it might be time to go back and take another look at Einstein’s recommendation that "mankind can be saved only by a supranational system." When charged with being naïve, he said: "Is it really a sign of unpardonable naivety to suggest that those in power decide among themselves that future conflicts must be settled by constitutional means rather than by the senseless sacrifice of great numbers of lives?" He admitted that he feared “the tyranny of a world government….But I fear still more the coming of another war."

Amen, Al! I, too, would rather sacrifice arrogance than lives.

EMERGENCY COMMITTEE of ATOMIC SCIENTISTS
INCORPORATED
Room 28,

January 22, 1947

Trustees
Albert Einstein, Chairman
Harold C. Urey, Vice-Chairman
Hans A. Bethe
T.R. Hogness
Philip M. Morse
Linus Pauling
Leo Szilard
V.F. Weisskopf

Dear Friend:

I write to you for help at the suggestion of a friend.

Through the release of atomic energy, our generation has brought into the world the most revolutionary force since prehistoric man's discovery of fire. This basic power of the universe cannot be fitted into the outmoded concept of narrow nationalisms. For there is no secret and there is no defense; there is no possibility of control except through the aroused understanding and insistence of the peoples of the world.

We scientists recognize our inescapable responsibility to carry to our fellow citizens an understanding of the simple facts of atomic energy and its implications for society. In this lies our only security and our only hope -- we believe that an informed citizenry will act for life and not death.

We need $1,000,000 for this great educational task. Sustained by faith in man's ability to control his destiny through the exercise of reason, we have pledged all our strength and our knowledge to this work. I do not hesitate to call upon you to help.

Faithfully yours,

[A. Einstein]

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