But The Nuclear Powers Still Cling Tenaciously

We Are Told That The Possession Of Nuclear Weapons - In Some Cases Even The Testing Of These Weapons - Is Essential For National Security. But This Argument Can Be Made By Other Countries As Well.

The Decision To Use The Atom Bomb On Japanese Cities, And The Consequent Buildup Of Enormous Nuclear Arsenals, Was Made By Governments, On The Basis Of Political And Military Perceptions.

When The Start 2 Treaty Has Been Implemented - And Remember It Has Not Yet Been Ratified - We Will Be Left With Some 15,000 Nuclear Warheads, Active And In Reserve. Fifteen Thousand Weapons With An Average Yield Of 20 Hiroshima Bombs.

I Did Not Imagine That The Second Half Of My Life Would Be Spent On Efforts To Avert A Mortal Danger To Humanity Created By Science.

So I Ask The Nuclear Powers To Abandon The Out-of-date Thinking Of The Cold War Period And Take A Fresh Look. Above All, I Appeal To Them To Bear In Mind The Long-term Threat That Nuclear Weapons Pose To Humankind And To Begin Action Towards Their Elimination.