ABSTRACT
There is little doubt that the growing movement against nuclear arms was proving an embarassment to the American government. The work of leading scientists, particularly through the Pugwash movement, in revealing the true nature and hazards of the nuclear arms race, was giving great impetus to those struggling for the abolition of tests and for peaceful coexistence with the USSR. Linus Pauling, who had been particularly active in exposing the perils of nuclear testing, was under constant harassment from powerful forces in the government who wished to silence all opposition to the resumption of the nuclear arms race. In January 1958 Pauling had presented to the United Nations a petition signed by 9,235 scientists from all over the world “urging that an international agreement to stop the testing of nuclear bombs be made now.” 1 The petition, which included 37 Nobel Laureates and the names of 2,875 American scientists as well as 3,769 scientists from socialist countries, had been initiated and organized by Pauling without the assistance of any organization. Russell had been a signatory to the petition, and when Pauling was ordered to appear before the Senate Internal Security Subcommittee on 15 September 1960 to consider contempt proceedings against him, after he had refused to reveal the names of those individuals who had helped him to organize his petition, Russell wrote on August 16:
I am horrified by the action of the Internal Security Subcommittee of the Senate. It seems to me that they demanded of you what almost any honourable man would feel to be a dishonourable action. I earnestly hope that they will repent before going to extremes.
