Lord Russell and the Atom Bomb [1951]

Sir,—Through a series of accidents I have only quite lately learned of a statement about me which was made by Critic in The New Statesman and Nation of November 18, 1950. In this issue Critic says of me: “After the last war, even more deeply troubled by the spread of Communism than he was by the power of Rome, which he had often denounced, he decided that it would be both good morals and good politics to start dropping bombs on Moscow.” At the time when you published this statement I was in the United States of America having fierce encounters with Republican journalists for advocating a policy diametrically 20 opposite to that which you attribute to me. I had previously conducted a campaign of public lectures, not only in the United States, but also in Australia and various Continental countries, to advocate policies which, I hoped, might prevent the need of a clash with Russia. These lectures were published at the time in the various countries in which they were delivered. Lest you should impugn my veracity I must ask you to allow me to quote various passages from them.