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Delivered
at a Memorial Service by Pierre Canonne On behalf of the Pugwash Council and the entire Pugwash community, we would like to express our deepest admiration and esteem for Martin Kaplan. To Lena and all the members of Martin's family, our thoughts and best wishes are with you. Martin not only served as Secretary General of the Pugwash Conferences from 1976 to 1988, but was involved with Pugwash from its very earliest days, having attended the 3rd Pugwash Conference held in Kitzbühel, Austria in September 1958. For more than 40 years, then, Martin was a central presence in Pugwash, contributing both insights about the human condition and the warmth of his personality to the Pugwash goal of creating a more peaceful and equitable world. We will remember Martin for his steady guidance of Pugwash during his tenure as Secretary General, which spanned both the darkest days of the Cold War as well as the promising early years of the Gorbachev era. Through it all, Martin always reminded us of the primary need for open lines of communication and mutual respect, no matter what the differences between us. Because of him, Pugwash was able to weather many a storm - such as the Warsaw Conference in 1982 - that could have seriously undermined the long-term viability of Pugwash. Mostly, we will remember Martin for his openness, candor, and friendship. It was these qualities above all that served him so well during his years as Secretary General. Pugwash was indeed fortunate to have such a friend, and we will miss him.
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