Author: A. Stanley Thompson

Miyoko Matsubara

by David Krieger

I heard from friends in Hiroshima that Miyoko Matsubara left this world on February 9th. She was a very gentle and dedicated hibakusha, who came several times for extended periods to the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation in Santa Barbara to practice her English and polish the presentation of her experience as an atomic bomb survivor. She was 13 years old when the atomic bomb destroyed her city. Like so many other survivors of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombings, she was traumatized by the experience and wanted to assure that no other people or cities suffered the trauma and tragedy that she and her city had.

To read more, click here.

We Call BS

by Emma Gonzalez

We are going to be the kids you read about in textbooks. Not because we’re going to be another statistic about mass shooting in America, but because we are going to be the last mass shooting.

The people in the government who were voted into power are lying to us. And us kids seem to be the only ones who notice and our parents to call BS. Companies trying to make caricatures of the teenagers these days, saying that we are all self-involved and trend-obsessed and they hush us into submission when our message doesn’t reach the ears of the nation, we are prepared to call BS. Politicians who sit in their gilded House and Senate seats funded by the NRA telling us nothing could have been done to prevent this, we call BS. They say tougher guns laws do not decrease gun violence. We call BS. They say a good guy with a gun stops a bad guy with a gun. We call BS. They say guns are just tools like knives and are as dangerous as cars. We call BS. They say no laws could have prevented the hundreds of senseless tragedies that have occurred. We call BS. That us kids don’t know what we’re talking about, that we’re too young to understand how the government works. We call BS.

To read more, click here.

How the Pentagon Devours the Budget

by William Hartung

Imagine for a moment a scheme in which American taxpayers were taken to the cleaners to the tune of hundreds of billions of dollars and there was barely a hint of criticism or outrage. Imagine as well that the White House and a majority of the politicians in Washington, no matter the party, acquiesced in the arrangement. In fact, the annual quest to boost Pentagon spending into the stratosphere regularly follows that very scenario, assisted by predictions of imminent doom from industry-funded hawks with a vested interest in increased military outlays.

Most Americans are probably aware that the Pentagon spends a lot of money, but it’s unlikely they grasp just how huge those sums really are. All too often, astonishingly lavish military budgets are treated as if they were part of the natural order, like death or taxes.

To read more, click here.

Duck and Cover

by Winslow Myers

Once those articulate Florida high school students, God love them, are finished exposing the craven emptiness of politicians like Marco Rubio and others subverted by the NRA, they might want to turn to nuclear weapons as another sacred cow ripe for the “we call B.S.” treatment.

The acute dangers of gun violence and nuclear weapons offer ominous parallels. Both are deadly serious issues that provoke absurd levels of avoidance and paralysis.

To read more, click here.

Trump Claims U.S. Will Stop Building Nuclear Arsenal if Others Stop First

U.S. President Donald Trump, speaking to a gathering of governors and mayors, outlined his administration’s approach to the nuclear arms race. “We’re increasing arsenals of virtually every weapon. We’re modernizing and creating a brand-new nuclear force. And, frankly, we have to do because others are doing it. If they stop, we’ll stop.”

Trump continued, “I hope they stop, and if they do, we’ll stop in two minutes.” He added, “We won’t lead the way, we’ll go along with them.”

Just days earlier, Trump’s Nuclear Posture Review called for four new types of nuclear weapons: an air-launched cruise missile, a new warhead for land-based ICBMs, a “low-yield” warhead for submarines, and a submarine-launched cruise missile.

Rebecca Morin, “Trump: U.S. Will Cease Building Nuclear Arsenal if Other Countries Stop First,” Politico, February 12, 2018.

U.S. Cancels ICBM Test During Olympic Truce

The United States quietly canceled a Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile test scheduled for February 6 or 7. The test, which would have sent a nuclear-capable missile from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California to the Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands, would have violated the spirit of the Olympic Truce, which began on February 2.

On February 2, the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation sent a letter to Secretary of Defense James Mattis, encouraging him to postpone any ICBM tests during the Olympic Truce period. The letter stated, “If North Korea were to test an ICBM during the Olympics, many nations, including the United States, would view the act as provocative and threatening. One does not have to stretch the imagination too far to guess how North Korea might react to our testing of ICBMs during the same period.”

Janene Scully, “Vandenberg AFB Minuteman III Test Launch Delayed Ahead of Olympics,” Noozhawk, February 6, 2018.

UN Secretary-General Calls for New Push for Nuclear Disarmament

Speaking at the Conference on Disarmament, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called for a new global effort to get rid of nuclear weapons. He said, “Countries persist in clinging to the fallacious idea that nuclear arms make the world safer … At the global level, we must work towards forging a new momentum on eliminating nuclear weapons.”

U.S. Ambassador Robert Wood was quick to undermine the Secretary-General’s call, saying that instead of pursuing nuclear disarmament, negotiators must “look reality in the eye.” Wood insisted that now is not the time for bold disarmament initiatives. The French and Chinese ambassadors also sought to downplay Guterres’ strong call for action.

Tom Miles, “UN Chief Calls for New Push to Rid the World of Nuclear Weapons,” Reuters, February 26, 2018.

New Zealand Reinstates Position of Minister for Disarmament

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has reinstated the country’s Cabinet-level position of Minister for Disarmament and Arms Control. The previous government had discontinued the position in 2011.

Prime Minister Ardern said that the position “is an acknowledgement of the emphasis this government places on our long held anti-nuclear stance, and the role we must play now and in the future.”

“Winston Peters Given Newly-Revived Ministerial Role of Nuclear Disarmament,” TVNZ, February 26, 2018.

NAPF Advisors to Suu Kyi: “End Rohingya Genocide”

Three Nobel Peace Laureates – Mairead Maguire, Shirin Ebadi, and Tawakkol Karman – have demanded that fellow Nobel Peace Laureate Aung San Suu Kyi take decisive action to end the genocide of Rohingya in Myanmar. Maguire and Ebadi are members of the NAPF Advisory Council.

Speaking after visiting a Rohingya refugee camp in Bangladesh, Mairead Maguire said, “The torture, rape and killing of any one member of our human family must be challenged, as in the case of the Rohingya genocide. This is genocide. We can’t remain silent. Silence is complicity.”

Shirin Ebadi said, “With over a million Rohingya displaced, countless dead or missing, and rape and sexual violence being used as a weapon of war, it is well past the time for the international community to act.”

Ruma Paul, “Nobel Peace Laureates to Suu Kyi: ‘End Rohingya Genocide or Face Prosecution’,” Reuters, February 28, 2018.

Top U.S. Diplomat on North Korea Abruptly Resigns

Joseph Yun, a U.S. diplomat with over 30 years of experience, unexpectedly announced that he will retire effective March 2. Yun consistently encouraged dialogue with North Korea, and his absence will likely elevate the dangerous voices within the Trump administration calling for military action against North Korea.

President Trump recently stated, “If the sanctions don’t work, we’ll have to go to phase two, and phase two may be a very rough thing. It may be very, very unfortunate for the world.”

Ellana Lee and Joshua Berlinger, “U.S.’s Top North Korea Diplomat Announces Surprise Retirement,” CNN, February 27, 2018.

Trump Administration Reveals Nuclear Weapons Budget Request

On February 23, the Trump administration released the detailed budget request for the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA). The NNSA is responsible for the nation’s nuclear weapons laboratories, as well as nuclear warhead maintenance, design, and production. This budget request of $15.1 billion is a 17% increase over FY2018 enacted levels, while many other government-funded programs providing benefits to society are being slashed.

The NNSA budget is not the entire U.S. nuclear weapons program. The Department of Defense is responsible for all of the systems to deliver nuclear weapons, such as submarines, aircraft, and land-based missiles.

“Detailed NNSA Budget Accelerates Nuclear Arms Race,” Nuclear Watch New Mexico, February 26, 2018.

Lockheed Martin Receives More U.S. Government Money than Many Federal Agencies

In 2017, the weapons and aerospace company Lockheed Martin made $51 billion in sales. Of this, $35.2 billion was from the U.S. government. This is nearly as much money as the Trump administration proposed for the entire State Department in Fiscal Year 2019.

Lockheed Martin is one of the world’s biggest producers of nuclear weapons components for both the United States’ and United Kingdom’s nuclear arsenals. The company regularly tops the list of corporations that receive the most money from the U.S. government.

Christian Davenport and Aaron Gregg, “Lockheed Martin Got $35.2 Billion from Taxpayers Last Year. That’s More than Many Federal Agencies,” Washington Post, February 16, 2018.

U.S. and Chinese Officials Fight Over Nuclear Football

During President Trump’s trip to China in November 2017, White House Chief of Staff John Kelly and a Secret Service agent tussled with Chinese Security officials over the U.S Nuclear weapons briefcase, often called the “nuclear football.” The scuffle took place during Trump’s visit to the Beijing Great Hall of the People. When the U.S. aid carrying the briefcase was denied entrance to the hall, Kelly intervened. A Chinese security guard pushed Kelly, causing a secret service agent to tackle the Chinese security personnel.

In response to the story, the U.S. Secret Service tweeted, “FACT CHECK: Reports about Secret Service agents tackling a host nation official during the President’s trip to China in Nov 2017 are false.”

Jonathan Swan, “Scoop: Skirmish in Beijing Over the Nuclear Football,” Axios, February 18, 2018.

Trump Administration Pursues Deal to Build Nuclear Reactors in Saudi Arabia

On March 1, U.S. Energy Secretary Rick Perry will meet with Saudi officials in London to discuss a deal to build nuclear reactors in Saudi Arabia. The Trump administration is considering permitting Saudi Arabia to enrich and reprocess uranium as part of a deal that would allow Westinghouse Electric Co. and other U.S. companies to build nuclear reactors in the Middle East kingdom.

Any agreement must be approved by Congress. Senator Ed Markey, in a letter to Rick Perry and Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, wrote, “Congress remains in the dark about what exactly is being considered, why we may be re-evaluating our nonproliferation objectives and standards, and how and when this information is being conveyed to Saudi Arabia and other countries around the world.”

Ari Natter, Jennifer Jacobs, and Jennifer Dlouhy, “Perry Plans Nuclear-Energy Talks with Saudis, Sources Say,” Bloomberg, February 26, 2018.

Failed Missile Defense Test Cost $130 Million

On January 31, the U.S. Missile Defense Agency conducted a test of the Raytheon SM-3 Block IIA interceptor missile system. The test, which cost taxpayers $130 million, resulted in failure.

A similar test missile also failed to reach its target in June off Kauai when a sailor on the USS John Paul Jones accidentally pushed a button that caused the missile to self-destruct.

“Failed Missile Test Off of Kauai Costs the U.S. $130m,” Associated Press, February 21, 2018.

The Poison and the Tomb

From 1946-58, the United States conducted 67 nuclear weapon tests in the Marshall Islands. These tests included many of the biggest thermonuclear weapons ever exploded on Earth. The human and environmental consequences of U.S. nuclear testing is immeasurable, and continues to wreak havoc on this Pacific Island nation.

On Enewetak Atoll, the U.S. bulldozed tons of contaminated soil and material into a large bomb crater. They encased it in an 18-inch thick concrete dome, and left it to the elements. The “tomb,” as the locals call it, is cracking and leaking, with no solution in sight.

Kim Wall, Coleen Jose, and Jan Hendrik Hinzel, “The Poison and the Tomb: One Family’s Journey to Their Contaminated Home,” Mashable, February 25, 2018.

This Month in Nuclear Threat History

History chronicles many instances when humans have been threatened by nuclear weapons. In this article, Jeffrey Mason outlines some of the threats that have taken place in the month of March, including the March 1, 1954 Castle Bravo nuclear test, the largest nuclear test ever conducted by the United States. At 1,000 times more powerful than the atomic bomb that destroyed Hiroshima, the Castle Bravo test caused untold devastation to the people and the environment of the Marshall Islands.

To read Mason’s full article, click here.

For more information on the history of the Nuclear Age, visit NAPF’s Nuclear Files website.

Presidential First Use of Nuclear Weapons

On November 4, 2017, Harvard University hosted a symposium entitled “Presidential First Use of Nuclear Weapons: Is It Legal? Is It Constitutional? Is It Just?” A short introductory video along with transcripts of the speeches are now available online.

Click here to watch the six-minute introductory video.

Click here to read the contributions from speakers, including Congressman Jim McGovern, Kenette Benedict, John Burroughs, and Zia Mian.

Atomic Homefront Streaming Free

The powerful documentary film “Atomic Homefront” is about the oldest nuclear weapons wastes of the Atomic Age, from the Manhattan Project in the early 1940s, and the St. Louis, Missouri community’s response to living amidst such risks. The radioactive wastes were illegally dumped at West Lake Landfill in the early 1970s. Located in the Missouri River floodplain, radioactive contaminants have leaked out of West Lake Landfill for decades, flowing with wind and water into surrounding neighborhoods. An underground fire, smoldering for years in an immediately adjacent municipal garbage dump, is now burning within hundreds of feet of the radioactive waste, and has dramatically exacerbated concerns.

Atomic Homefront is streaming free on HBO through March 18. Click here to watch it.

TEDx Talk by Atmospheric Scientist Brian Toon

Brian Toon, a professor in the Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences at the University of Colorado-Boulder, has been studying the effects of nuclear war for 35 years. In this TEDx talk, he explains how even a small nuclear war could destroy all life on Earth, and what we can do to prevent it.

Click here to watch the video.

Don’t Bank on the Bomb Coming March 7

The 2018 edition of the “Don’t Bank on the Bomb” report will be released on March 7. The report details the many companies around the world involved in the production of nuclear weapons, as well as the institutions that finance the nuclear weapon producers.

The report also highlights financial institutions that have decided to implement explicit policies not to finance companies that produce nuclear weapons.

For more information on the report, click here.

March 7 Webinar: Women Waging Peace

On March 7, the eve of International Women’s Day, please join us for a free webinar featuring our 2018 Kelly Lecturer, Christine Ahn, and NAPF Advisor Medea Benjamin. These outstanding peace leaders will join us live to talk about the indispensable role of women in building peace in Korea and around the world.

The webinar will take place from 12:30 – 1:00 p.m. Pacific Time. It is free to participate. To register, click here.

2018 Swackhamer Disarmament Video Contest

The 2018 Swackhamer Disarmament Video Contest is accepting entries through April 1. The contest is free to enter and is open to people of all ages around the world. The topic of this year’s contest is “Creating a Nuclear-Free Future: The Role of Young People.”

Contestants will make videos of 2 minutes or less about the role that young people have in abolishing nuclear weapons. It can be what they or other young people are doing now, or an idea of what they think can be done.

For more information and complete instructions on how to enter, go to www.peacecontests.org.

Preventing War: Crisis and Opportunity with North Korea

On March 7, 2018, Christine Ahn will deliver the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation’s 17th Annual Frank K. Kelly Lecture on Humanity’s Future. Ahn’s lecture is entitled “Preventing War: Crisis and Opportunity with North Korea.”

Christine Ahn is the Founder and International Coordinator of Women Cross DMZ, a global movement of women mobilizing to end the Korean War, reunite families, and ensure women’s leadership in peace building. She is co-founder of the Korea Peace Network, Korea Policy Institute and Global Campaign to Save Jeju Island.

The event is free and open to the public. The lecture will begin at 7:00 p.m. at the Karpeles Manuscript Library, 21 W. Anapamu Street, Santa Barbara, CA 93101. For more information, click here.

“When will our consciences grow so tender that we will act to prevent human misery rather than avenge it?”

— Eleanor Roosevelt. This quote appears in the book Speaking of Peace: Quotations to Inspire Action, which is available to purchase in the NAPF Peace Store.

“In our hearts we know that we can never use these bombs, and therefore to own them and to perpetuate the myth of deterrence is a moral failure.”

— The Rt Revd Stephen Cottrell, Bishop of Chelmsford, speaking at a debate on nuclear weapons in the House of Lords (UK).

“They will find out in about 30 minutes.”

— Gen. John Hyten, Commander of U.S. Strategic Command, when asked whether Russia could distinguish a low-yield from a high-yield nuclear weapon before it explodes.

“The only role the UC really plays is to provide a fig leaf of academic cover to the creation of weapons of mass murder.”

— Jackie Cabasso, Executive Director of Western States Legal Foundation, talking about the University of California’s management of the United States’ nuclear weapons laboratories.

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Joy Ferguson
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With Nuclear Weapons, Evacuation Is Not an Option

by David Krieger

My wife and I and other members of our family have been living through the nightmarish disaster that struck our community of Montecito. First came the fire and then came the floods.

In our community, we have been living through radical uncertainty from forces of nature. But we also live daily with the radical uncertainty of nuclear survival, which is not a force of nature, but rather a man-made threat. It is a threat entirely of our own making, and it can be remedied by facing it and doing something about it, namely convening the nuclear-armed countries to negotiate the phased, verifiable, irreversible and transparent elimination of these weapons. And, as a step prior to this, or simultaneously, to sign and ratify the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, which includes prohibitions on the development, deployment, use and threat of use of nuclear weapons.

To read the full article at The Hill, click here.

Approaching the Apocalypse, the Doomsday Clock Moves Forward

by Bob Dodge

The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists has just moved their Doomsday Clock forward to two minutes to midnight. Midnight represents nuclear apocalypse. The Clock is recognized around the world as an indicator of the world’s vulnerability to catastrophe from nuclear weapons, climate change, and emerging technologies. Each year the decision to move the Clock, or not, is determined by the Bulletin’s Science and Security Board in consultation with its Board of Sponsors, which includes 15 Nobel laureates.

In making this year’s move to two minutes to midnight, the Bulletin stated that “in 2017, world leaders failed to respond effectively to the looming threat of nuclear war and climate change, making the worlds security situation more dangerous than it was a year ago–and as dangerous as it has been since World War II.”

To read more, click here.

We Can Avoid War with North Korea if We Listen to Women Peacemakers

by Erica Fein

The U.S. and North Korea have been at war for 67 years. Between 1950 and 1953, the Korean War killed over two million Koreans, 36,500 American troops, and hundreds of thousands more from other countries on both sides. Since then, a united Korea for well over a thousand years has given way to a stark division. Hundreds of thousands of family members physically torn apart by war and outside aggressors know that with each passing day, hope fades that they will reunite.

But now, conventional thinking isn’t just continuing the status quo—it’s putting us on a path to renewed war. If we want to truly achieve peace, we must listen to the voices of those who have witnessed the human costs of war on the Korean Peninsula. And, on all sides of the negotiating table, women must be heard.

To read more, click here.

The U.S. Has Military Bases in 80 Countries. All of them Must Close.

by Alice Slater

On the weekend of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Baltimore University hosted more than 200 activists in the peace, environment, and social justice movements to launch a timely new initiative, the Coalition Against U.S. Foreign Military Bases.

In a series of panels over two days, conference speakers from every corner of the globe proceeded to describe the extraordinary cruelty and toxic lethality of U.S. foreign policy. We learned that the United States has approximately 800 formal military bases in 80 countries, a number that could exceed 1,000 if you count troops stationed at embassies and missions and so-called “lily-pond” bases, with some 138,000 soldiers stationed around the globe.

To read more, click here.

Trump Nuclear Posture Review Calls for New Nuclear Weapons

The Trump administration released its Nuclear Posture Review (NPR) on February 2. The document calls for new “low-yield” nuclear weapons in order to “enhance deterrence by denying potential adversaries any mistaken confidence that limited nuclear employment can provide a useful advantage over the United States and its allies.”

Despite overwhelming expert opinion that introducing more “low-yield” nuclear weapons will lower the threshold for actual use of nuclear weapons, the document states that such action will “raise the nuclear threshold…making nuclear employment less likely.”

Ashley Feinberg, “Exclusive: Here Is a Draft of Trump’s Nuclear Review. He Wants a Lot More Nukes,” Huffington Post, January 11, 2018.

U.S. Plans Nuclear Missile Tests During Olympic Truce

The U.S. Air Force plans to conduct two test launches of its Minuteman III Intercontinental Ballistic Missile in February, while the Olympic Truce is meant to be in force.

“There are two launches currently scheduled for February that have been scheduled for three to five years” to test the reliability and accuracy of the Minuteman III missiles, according to Captain Anastasia Schmidt, a spokeswoman for the Air Force Global Strike Command, which manages ICBMs and long-range bombers.

The Air Force has cancelled or postponed Minuteman III launches in the past due to unfavorable weather, technical problems, and other reasons. The Nuclear Age Peace Foundation has called on U.S. Defense Secretary James Mattis to postpone these provocative ICBM launches at least until after the Olympic Truce ends in March.

Anthony Capaccio, “U.S. Sticks to ICBM Test-Flight Plan Despite North Korea Tensions,” Bloomberg, January 11, 2018.

South Korean Foreign Minister Says Military Option Is Unacceptable

Speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, South Korea’s Foreign Minister, Kang Kyung-Wha, emphasized the need for the North Korean crisis to be solved with diplomatic, not military, means. She urged the U.S. to avoid military options, saying, “This is our future at stake.”

Kang also commented on the recent Olympic Truce, which has brought a lull in tensions and a rare opportunity for dialogue between the two countries. She said, “This is an opportunity for engagement and a peaceful engagement around the Olympic Games, and we just need to make the best of it.”

Soyoung Kim, “South Korea Minister Says Military Option ‘Unacceptable’ on North Korea Crisis,” Reuters, January 25, 2018.

India Tests Long-Range Missile that Can Reach Most of China

On January 18, India conducted a successful test of its Agni 5 ballistic missile, a long-range missile that travelled over 3,000 miles. The test is significant to India’s relationship with its most powerful neighbor, China, which it can now reach with the new ICBM technology. India previously did not have the technology to reach “high value” targets in China with nuclear weapons, but this test demonstrated its ability to threaten Chinese coastal cities, such as Shanghai.

Despite a generally non-hostile relationship between China and India, previous conflicts have caused tensions between the two countries, such as a recent border dispute over land in the Himalayas. It is unclear how India’s newest achievements in nuclear technology will affect their relationship.

Kai Schultz and Hari Kumar, “India Tests Ballistic Missile, Posing New Threat to China,” The New York Times, January 18, 2018.

Outgoing head of U.S. Nuclear Agency Warns They Are Already Operating at Capacity

Frank Klotz, the outgoing head of the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), warned that the agency does not have the ability to engage in additional nuclear weapons “modernization” projects. Klotz said, “We’re pretty much at capacity in terms of people… We’re pretty much at capacity in terms of the materials that we need to do this work. And we’re pretty much at capacity in terms of hours in the day at our facilities to do this work.”

The Trump administration’s Nuclear Posture Review calls for even more work on existing and new nuclear weapons. Klotz expects the NNSA will require even more funding than the initial estimate of $350 billion over the next 30 years, as warhead manufacturing, infrastructure improvements, and construction of processing facilities will all be necessary to complete the “modernization” program.

Aaron Mehta, “As Trump Seeks New Nuke Options, Weapons Agency Head Warns of Capacity Overload,” Defense News, January 23, 2018.

Hawaii False Alarm Was Not an Accident

A January 13 emergency alert sent to cell phones in Hawaii warning of an incoming ballistic missile was a false alarm, but it was sent by an emergency worker who believed the state was under attack. The employee of the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency was fired after mistaking a drill for a true emergency.

The text message, in all caps, read, “Ballistic missile threat inbound to Hawaii. Seek immediate shelter. This is not a drill.” The message was not corrected for 38 minutes, leading to widespread panic throughout the state.

Laurel Wamsley, “Worker Who Sent Hawaii False Alert Thought Missile Attack Was Imminent,” NPR, January 30, 2018.

A Tragic Past at China’s Mao-Era Nuclear Plant

Jinyintan, a remote city in China’s northwest region, has become a monument to China’s nuclear weapons development during the Mao era, and a tourist attraction for domestic travelers. The city was home to Plant 221, the hub of Mao’s nuclear weapons program. At its peak, 30,000 scientists, workers, and guards lived there, working day and night in the plant’s 18 labs, workshops, and buildings.

Despite the Chinese Communist Party’s celebration of Plant 221, herders, scientists, and police officers that worked on and around the plant have come out with haunting stories of forced relocation, brutal interrogations, and executions. Over 9,000 farmers and herders who lived on the land before the project began were imprisoned or forced into brutal marches, where many died.

During Mao’s Cultural Revolution of 1966, suspicion, infighting, and random purges infected the plant—some 4,000 scientists and technicians were interrogated, and 50 were executed under accusations of treason.

Chris Buckley and Adam Wu, “Where China Built Its Bomb, Dark Memories Haunt the Ruins,” The New York Times, January 20, 2018.

Sweden Denies Nuclear Waste Permit

The Swedish Nuclear Fuel and Waste Management Company (SKB) has been denied a license for the creation of a spent nuclear fuel repository in Forsmark, Sweden. The Swedish NGO Office for Nuclear Waste Review (MKG) and the Swedish Society for Nature Conservation (SSNC) praised the Swedish Environmental Court for its decision on the license application.

“The Swedish Environmental Court’s NO to the Final Repository for Spent Nuclear Fuel – A Triumph for the Environmental Movement and the Science,” MKG, January 23, 2018.

This Month in Nuclear Threat History

History chronicles many instances when humans have been threatened by nuclear weapons. In this article, Jeffrey Mason outlines some of the threats that have taken place in the month of February, including the February 1, 2006 attempted sale of 79.5 grams of highly enriched uranium in the former Soviet republic of Georgia.

To read Mason’s full article, click here.

For more information on the history of the Nuclear Age, visit NAPF’s Nuclear Files website.

North Korean Nuclear Capabilities in 2018

Hans Kristensen and Robert Norris have published a new edition of “Nuclear Notebook” in the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, examining North Korea’s nuclear capabilities in detail.

The authors cautiously estimate that North Korea may have produced enough fissile material to build between 30 and 60 nuclear weapons, and that it might possibly have assembled 10 to 20. Although North Korea is thought to have the capability to develop an operationally functioning re-entry vehicle to deliver an operational nuclear warhead, there is some uncertainty about whether it has demonstrated that it has succeeded in doing so. Nonetheless, North Korea’s nuclear weapons program has made considerable progress over the years, including a wide variety of ballistic and powerful nuclear tests. Presumably, if it hasn’t happened already, it is only a matter of time before Pyongyang’s nuclear arsenal can be considered fully functioning.

Click here to download the full report.

The Deterrence Myth

Writing in Aeon, scholar David Barash lays out a scathing critique of the myth of nuclear deterrence.

Barash writes, “The public has been bamboozled by the shiny surface appearance of deterrence, with its promise of strength, security and safety. But what has been touted as profound strategic depth crumbles with surprising ease when subjected to critical scrutiny.”

To read the full article, click here.

Announcing the 2018 Swackhamer Disarmament Video Contest

On February 1, the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation announced the 2018 Swackhamer Disarmament Video Contest. The contest is free to enter and is open to people of all ages around the world. The topic of this year’s contest is “Creating a Nuclear-Free Future: The Role of Young People.”

Contestants will make videos of 2 minutes or less about the role that young people have in abolishing nuclear weapons. It can be what they or other young people are doing now, or an idea of what they think can be done.

For more information and complete instructions on how to enter, go to www.peacecontests.org.

Preventing War: Crisis and Opportunity with North Korea

On March 7, 2018, Christine Ahn will deliver the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation’s 17th Annual Frank K. Kelly Lecture on Humanity’s Future. Ahn’s lecture is entitled “Preventing War: Crisis and Opportunity with North Korea.”

Christine Ahn is the Founder and International Coordinator of Women Cross DMZ, a global movement of women mobilizing to end the Korean War, reunite families, and ensure women’s leadership in peace building. She is co-founder of the Korea Peace Network, Korea Policy Institute and Global Campaign to Save Jeju Island.

The event is free and open to the public. The lecture will begin at 7:00 p.m. at the Karpeles Manuscript Library, 21 W. Anapamu Street, Santa Barbara, CA 93101. For more information, click here.

NAPF Intern Publishes Article in the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists

NAPF intern Alanna Richards, a senior at Westmont College, has published an article about the Olympic Truce in the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists. Alanna connects her transformative experiences as a college athlete to the global impacts of the Olympic Truce.

She writes, “By pushing the world to see past Kim Jong-un and to look instead at athletes from his country, who are more similar to Americans than we might think, we can glimpse the humanity of North Korea and ourselves.”

Click here to read the full article.

Join Us This Summer for a Rewarding Internship

Applications for the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation’s summer internships are due on March 1. We offer both paid and volunteer internships. Our interns come from around the world and work together with the NAPF staff at our headquarters in Santa Barbara, California for 10 weeks.

For more information about our internship program, including how to apply, click here.

Stop an Unconstitutional War with North Korea

Bills currently before the House of Representatives and the Senate aim to stop an unconstitutional attack against North Korea.

The bills, H.R. 4837 and S.2016, would prohibit the president from launching a first strike against North Korea without congressional approval. The bills also call on the president to “initiate negotiations designed to achieve a diplomatic agreement to halt and eventually reverse North Korea’s nuclear and missile pursuits.”

The bill in the House currently has 65 co-sponsors, while the bill in the Senate has only four senators. More are urgently needed. Please take a moment to write your elected officials about H.R. 4837 and S.2016.

Click here to take action.

“In an all-out nuclear war, more destructive power than in all of World War II would be unleashed every second during the long afternoon it would take for all the missiles and bombs to fall. A World War II every second — more people killed in the first few hours than all the wars of history put together. The survivors, if any, would live in despair amid the poisoned ruins of a civilization that had committed suicide.”

— Jimmy Carter, 39th U.S. President. February 19th is Presidents’ Day in the United States. This quote appears in the book Speaking of Peace: Quotations to Inspire Action, which is available to purchase in the NAPF Peace Store.

“What happened in Hawaii should spur us to action to eliminate this threat once and for all. We must not wait for a real incoming missile to blast apart a beloved city, to incinerate our—or anyone else’s—families and friends. We should use this moment as a wake-up call.”

— Ray Acheson, writing in The Nation.

“If you are uncomfortable with Trump and Kim Jong-un having nuclear weapons, you are probably uncomfortable with nuclear weapons in general.”

— Beatrice Fihn, Executive Director of the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons, in a January 23 tweet.

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