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Tribute
from the Pugwash Secretary General | Pugwash
Council Statement | From
Polish Pugwash Group
The worldwide Pugwash community has lost a friend, mentor and moral touchstone. Jo Rotblat in so many ways was Pugwash, beginning with his organizing efforts for the first international scientific conference in Pugwash, Nova Scotia in 1957, to the 54th Pugwash Conference held in Seoul, South Korea in October 2004 – the last he attended. For these 47 years, as co-founder, President and Council member, Jo embodied the scientific rigor and ethical conscience of all that the Pugwash movement aspired to in calling on governments and political leaders to rid the world of the menace of nuclear weapons. Jo’s path to opposing nuclear weapons began earlier, of course, when in 1944 he became the only scientist to leave the Manhattan Project and refuse to work further on the atomic bomb once it was clear the Nazis were defeated. Then, in 1955, he joined Bertrand Russell and Albert Einstein in helping to formulate the seminal Russell-Einstein Manifesto, which became the founding document of the Pugwash Conferences. As the sole surviving signatory of the Manifesto during its 50th anniversary this year, Jo felt compelled to continue to stress its relevance to the nuclear dangers facing us today. Whatever the political circumstances of the day, and despite criticism from some about his political idealism and naiveté, Jo’s message remained steadfast: either the world will eliminate nuclear weapons, or we face the prospect of such weapons eliminating us. The continued presence of such weapons in the arsenals of some countries, and their possible acquisition by terrorist groups, means one thing: as long as such weapons exist, they will some day be used. Beyond the nuclear menace, however, Jo believed fervently in the goal of eliminating war as a means of settling disputes. Accordingly, the Pugwash Conferences over the years devoted as much effort to bringing together parties in conflict as it did to analyzing the feasibility and desirability of eliminating nuclear weapons. Inspired by Jo, Pugwash has continued to grow, with representation today in more than 50 countries around the world, and with active involvement in precisely those conflict areas where the risk of nuclear weapons use is greatest. More broadly, his eternal optimism and faith in the fundamental decency of human nature manifested itself in his continuous support for the young generation of Student/Young Pugwash members and recently by the launch of an educational campaign about the danger of nuclear weapons. As it approaches its 50th anniversary, in 2007, Pugwash will continue to strive for those ideals so wonderfully and eloquently articulated by Jo throughout his lifetime. We may have lost his companionship, humor and intellectual guidance, but we will never lose his steadfast sense of purpose in knowing the right thing to do. Nonetheless, we will miss him, dearly. For more
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