Nuclear Debate Pamphlets
Pamphlets from both pro- and anti-nuclear organizations published during the 1980 period of rising tensions and the decline of déténte. See also the Euromissiles Crisis and the related collections of the Nuclear Proliferation International History Project. (Image, cover of Moscow Independent Peace Group)
-
1979
A Dialogue With The Soviets: Nuclear Weapons, Disarmament and Nuclear Energy
Report from American Friends Service Committee describing the organization's late September/early October 1979 visit to the Soviet Union. Details topics of discussion, which included the current status of Cuba, the SALT treaty, the role of NATO in disarmament, and the numerous issues surrounding nuclear energy. Aimed at promoting positive discourse and the importance of a candid exchange between the United States and the Soviet Union, in opposition to further militarization.
-
1980
Nuclear Weapons
British government pamphlet describing the general features and effects of nuclear weapons. Intended for home defense planners, it includes detailed scientific information about the destructive forces of nuclear blasts, the dangers to human health, and the construction of effective shelters.
-
1980
Missile Madness: The New Weapons Systems and How They Threaten Your Life
Socialist Workers Party pamphlet arguing that the current nuclear arms threat is much more serious than in the past due to the development of new cruise missiles. It calls for people to stand up against the missiles and recognize nuclear weapons as a class issue integrated with the wider Socialist Workers Party platform.
-
1980
Protest and Survive
Pamphlet from the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament and the Bertrand Russell Peace Foundation arguing for a nuclear-free Europe. Describes the potentially destructive effects of nuclear weapons. Promotes skepticism towards official government statements regarding weapons on both sides and the idea that the strategy of deterrence at its core will only lead to more usable weapons and eventually their actual use. Provides a document endorsing a European nuclear free zone for readers to sign.
-
1981
Domestic Nuclear Shelters: Advice on domestic shelters providing protection against nuclear explosions, A Home Office Guide
British government booklet describing the effects of potential nuclear fallout. It also provides detailed instructions on how to construct four different types of domestic shelters in preparation for an attack.
-
1982
Target North-West: Civil Defence & Nuclear War in Cumbria, Lancashire, Manchester, Merseyside, and Cheshire
Pamphlet by the Richardson Institute for Peace and Conflict Research detailing the effects and aftermath of a nuclear war on Northwest England. Describes emergency defense plans for the post-attack government.
-
1982
Moscow Independent Peace Group
Pamphlet from European Nuclear Disarmament with two first-hand accounts of a Scandinavian women’s peace march through Moscow that visited with an independent Soviet peace group. Includes details on the process and END’s internal debate on how to interact with the emerging movement, along with publications of the peace group itself, Western journalistic sources, official documents, and photographs.
-
1982
Comiso
Pamphlet from European Nuclear Disarmament promoting a resistance campaign against the placement of 464 cruise missiles in the town of Comiso, on the southern coast of Sicily. Aimed at creating an effective protest, author Ben Thompson details the political and social background of the region, the anti-missile campaign that already exists, local opposition, and directions on how to get to Comiso to take part in any future protests. See also Thompson's unpublished description of the protest, "Diary of a Hunger Strike."
-
1982
Beyond the Cold War
Lecture by EP Thompson before the Worcester City Guildhall seeking to define the Cold War in a contemporary context. Thompson argues that the standard dichotomous definitions of the past have become improper and the Cold War is now best defined as a developed habit supported by the material interests of each side, most importantly military and political actors. He describes the Cold War as a method for leaders to easily access the ideological regulation and social discipline needed to ensure their positions. Therefore, Thompson argues, since these leaders have a direct interest in its continuance, people, and not states, must bring about any significant change in the Cold War.
-
1982
The New Hungarian Peace Movement
Pamphlet from European Nuclear Disarmament containing two articles by Hungarian activist Ferenc Koszegi detailing the rise of independent peace groups within Hungary. Koszegi describes the make-up of the groups (mostly ages 14-20 and in secondary schools, along with religious groups) and problems for their growth and effectiveness, including the potential co-option by the existing state peace council and outside manipulation. He argues that the groups should increase communication networks and open dialogue with the west in order to survive and prosper. The pamphlet also contains the transcript of a speech delivered by E.P. Thompson to an independent peace group in Budapest advocating for such peace groups and the transcending of Cold War rhetoric for the purpose of nuclear disarmament.
-
1982
The Nuclear North Atlantic
Speeches from a European Nuclear Disarmament Conference in Glasgow with an introduction from EP Thompson on the strategic importance of the North Atlantic Ocean in NATO and the Soviet Union's nuclear weapons programs. Contains a speech from Olafur Grimsson, future President of Iceland, on the importance of links between countries, such as Norway, Denmark, and Greenland, in opposing the stationing or launching of missiles from the region. Calls for turning the North Atlantic Ocean into a nuclear free zone. Followed by a speech from activist Angus McCormack protesting the expansion of Stornoway Airport in Scotland, and the assumed militarization of the region that would ensue. Describes the creation of Keep NATO Out, the local group that opposed expansion plans, and its dealings with the Ministry of Defense/NATO.
-
November, 1982
Diary of a Hunger Strike
Activist Ben Thompson describes his participation in a 1982 protest against the placement of cruise missiles at the United States Air Base in Comiso, Italy. Thompson describes the day-to-day events of the protest and hunger strike, including meetings with Italian politicians and the press. This unpublished narrative was written for circulation among Thompson's friends. See also his related pamphlet, the END Special Report "Comiso."
-
1983
Disarmament: Who's Against?
Soviet military pamphlet discussing what it sees as the two different approaches to nuclear and conventional arms limitation between the U.S. and the Soviet Union. Argues that while the Soviet Union works for constructive talks, the U.S. obstructs agreements and uses propaganda rhetoric to disguise its true aggression. Translated for publication from the Russian text, "Razoruzhenie, kto protiv?"
-
1983
Turkey: Peace on Trial
Pamphlet from European Nuclear Disarmament detailing the trial of members of the Turkish Peace Association (TPA). Describes the goals of TPA, its arrested members, and the denial of basic rights during the trial. Contains personal accounts of the peace campaign environment in Istanbul and of the trial itself, including published courtroom speeches and the background of the trial.
-
1984
Return Address: Moscow, Issue 1
Bulletin by the Group for Establishing Trust Between the USSR and the USA, an independent peace organization in the Soviet Union. Three issues were editor Sergei Batovrin and published from New York City. They contain news on the peace movement in the Soviet Union and the harassment and imprisonment of activists by the government.