On
2nd November, 1957, the New Statesman
published an article by J. B. Priestley
entitled Russia, the Atom and the West.
In the article Priestley attacked the decision by Aneurin
Bevan to abandon his policy of unilateral nuclear disarmament.
The article resulted in a large number of people writing letters to
the journal supporting Priestley's views.
Kingsley Martin, the editor of the New
Statesman, organised a meeting of people inspired by Priestley
and as result they formed the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND).
Early members of this group included J. B.
Priestley, Bertrand Russell, Fenner
Brockway, Frank Allaun, Donald
Soper, Vera Brittain, E.
P. Thompson,
Sydney Silverman, James
Cameron, Jennie Lee, Victor
Gollancz, Konni
Zilliacus,
Richard Acland, Stuart
Hall,
Ralph Miliband, Frank
Cousins, A. J. P. Taylor, Canon
John Collins and Michael Foot.
The annual Easter Aldermaston March that ended in Trafalgar Square
in London drew large support in the late
1950s and early 1960s. The stationing of nuclear cruise missiles in
Britain revived support for the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament in
the 1980s and for a time the organisation had nearly 100,000 members.
(1)
J. B. Priestley,
New Statesman (2nd November,
1957)
In plain words: now that Britain has told the world that
she has the H-Bomb she should announce as early as possible that she
has done with it, that she proposes to reject in all circumstances
nuclear warfare.
We ended
the war high in the world's regard. We could have taken over its moral
leadership, spoken and acted for what remained of its conscience,
but we chose to act otherwise. The melancholy consequences were that
abroad we cut a shabby figure in power politics and at home we shrug
it all away or go to the theatre to applaud the latest jeers and sneers
at Britannia.
Alone
we defied Hitler: and alone we can defy this nuclear madness there
may be other chain-reactions besides those leading to destruction:
and we might start one. The British of these times, so frequently
hiding their decent kind faces behind masks of sullen apathy or some
cheap cynicism, often seem to be waiting for something better than
party squabbles and appeals to their narrowest self-interest, something
great and noble in its intention that would make them feel good again.
And this might well be a declaration to the world that after a certain
date one power able to engage in nuclear warfare will reject the evil
thing for ever.
(2)
Canon
John Collins, Under Fire (1963)
Whether other events may have contributed to the emergence
of CND, J. B. Priestley's article exposing the utter folly and wickedness
of the whole nuclear strategy was the real catalyst.
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