A-bomb scientist criticizes nuke race
By MARIBEL MOREY
News Writer
If nuclear war were to occur, students' dreams and hard work would vanish. "The young lives, the young dreams would be gone ... We would be wiped out in a millisecond," said Father Theodore Hesburgh, university president emeritus.
He then introduced Sir Joseph Rotblat, cofounder of the Pugwash Conferences on Science and World Affairs, who spoke on "Averting Nuclear Anarchy: The Current Crisis in Arms Control" Friday night.
As the only living scientist from the Manhattan project, Rotblat explained his reasons for involvement with the project. As a humanitarian scientist, he did not want to see Germany with all the nuclear power during WWII.
"I was afraid of German scientists would have the same idea and would go on and would give Hitler the way to win the war," Rotblat said. In 1939, he believed that "the only way to prevent [Hitler] from using the bomb would be to have one too."
When Germany stopped working on the atomic bomb, so did Rotblat.
Knowing that Germany would not be a nuclear threat, he believed he was no longer serving the good of humanity by working on the bomb.
Nor did he believe nuclear power would be hoarded in future years.
"We scientists had a pretty good idea of the drastic effects of the nuclear bomb, but we did not imagine that it could threaten a human race," Rotblat said. "We did not know society could be so mad, so stupid to accumulate nuclear warheads."
For Rotblat, the need of atomic weapons for national security after the Cold War is a major problem.
"Sooner or later, they will be used," Rotblat said.
Instead of building warheads, Rotblat hopes to make it so they will never be needed.
"We need to work for peace through peace, not through deterrence," Rotblat said. "We need to change the idea of security from focusing on national security to focusing on global security."
At 92 years old, Rotblat has seen the birth and expansion of the nuclear age and presents the danger of nuclear war from a personal perspective. Lecture attendees got the message.
"[Rotblat] made me more convinced that taking action and interest can actually make a difference," said Erica Walter, a peace studies student.
All News Stories for Monday, April 3, 2000
