Keeper of the Nuclear Conscience

Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

Joseph Rotblat was the Jewish nuclear scientist whose disillusionment with nuclear weapons encouraged him to become one of the prime architects of the anti-nuclear movement, and resulted in his lifelong efforts to promote social responsibility in science. His founding of Pugwash and his humanitarian work ultimately led to his being awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. Rotblat's life, from his boyhood in Warsaw under siege and occupation in World War I to an active old age that brought honours and public recognition, is a compelling human story in itself. What gave it significance is the single-minded dedication to peaceful causes, particularly through his pursuit of nuclear disarmament. A key member of the British team that demonstrated the feasibility of the atomic bomb, he was so appalled by the use of the bombs against the Japanese that he founded the Pugwash organization to engage scientists from East and West to prohibit weapons of mass destruction. The story of his life reflects his global actions and his efforts were acknowledged when he was jointly awarded, with Pugwash, the Nobel Peace Prize in 1995. Set against a backdrop of profound changes to the global order - World War II, the Cold War, and the collapse of the Soviet Union, we also learn of his own personal tragedy. Andrew Brown's biography sets out a life whose work poses deep and important questions about science and society. This compelling account draws on full access to Rotblat's archives and presents the full scope of his life: his childhood overcoming poverty and anti-Semitism, his efforts to become a scientist in Warsaw, his work on Britain's nuclear programme, his lifelong dedication to peaceful causes, and his determination to uphold the ethical application of science. Ultimately, we discover a great man whose profound conscience shaped his life and work, and the legacy he leaves today.

Table of contents provided by Syndetics

• 1 Growing up in Warsaw
• 2 Liverpool
• 3 Paradise Denied
• 4 The bitterness of victory
• 5 Stepping off the atomic train
• 6 Bart's, bikini and the BBC
• 7 Remember your humanity
• 8 Pugwash
• 9 Of mice and Moscow
• 10 Towards a test ban
• 11 Eggheads and Warheads
• 12 Years of eclipse
• 13 Latent progress
• 14 Reaching for the impossible?
• 15 An old man in a hurry

Reviews provided by Syndetics

CHOICE Review

Physicist Joseph Rotblat was a Polish Jew who emigrated to England in early 1939 to work in Chadwick's cyclotron laboratory. He left behind his family and wife with the intention of returning at the conclusion of his internship. Weeks prior to his departure, Curie reported her discovery of nuclear fission and, just after he left, the Nazis invaded Poland. While in Liverpool, Rotblat recognized the military implications of nuclear fission. He was one of the first people to do so and began quietly but reluctantly informing certain people of this realization. Subsequently he worked on the Manhattan Project, where he contributed to the development of nuclear data that were key to designing an atomic bomb. Rotblat's moral concerns about nuclear weapons caused him to leave Los Alamos before the first nuclear test and return to England, where he began a lifelong effort to control the spread of nuclear weapons. He was an organizer of the Pugwash conferences and an activist for nuclear disarmament. In this well-written biography, Brown (Harvard; The Neutron and the Bomb, CH, Apr'98, 35-4552) does justice to the legacy of Rotblat, whose concern about the implications of a world full of nuclear-armed countries evolved into a personal crusade. Summing Up: Recommended. Academic and general readers, all levels. A. Spero formerly, University of California