RN Documentary: Weapons of Mass Destruction - Russell and Einstein

"My name is Ozymandias, king of kings: Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair!" Nothing beside remains. Round the decay Of that colossal wreck, boundless and bare The lone and level sands stretch far away. (Extract from Ozymandias by Percy Bysshe Shelley) The poem Ozymandias by Percy Bysshe Shelley describes what he sees as the inevitable fate of all leaders who choose the path of war: destruction, death, and ultimately oblivion. Though it was written in 1818 it has often been quoted recently to describe both the toppled regime of the Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein and that of American President George W. Bush. Some 50 years ago, only a handful of men and women understood the implications of nuclear proliferation. But one man, the British philosopher Bertrand Russell, clearly recognised the dangers these weapons posed for humanity. Russell had decided that the alarm must be sounded by scientists – and not just any scientists, Nobel laureates. The first person he approached was his friend, Albert Einstein. Einstein responded enthusiastically to the proposal and agreed to approach other laureates. As an international celebrity and one of the most respected men of his day, Einstein's support was crucial to the project. Russell drafted a manifesto against the use of weapons of mass destruction and sent it to Einstein to endorse. The message provoked a whole generation to revolt against the dangerous new arms race. The Anti-nuclear movement had been born and made its voice heard throughout the cold war.