Catch up: Nuclear Nightmare - Oppenheimer to Lakenheath

Posted: 21st September 2023

Tuesday’s meeting with Tom Unterrainer, the chair of CND, was fascinating and well worth watching if you missed it. You can see it on Abingdon Peace Group’s YouTube channel here: https://youtu.be/30W8Ig7jJbA

In September 2023 Salisbury CND and Abingdon Peace Group invited CND Chair Tom Unterrainer to explore the links between the film “Oppenheimer” and the planned deployment of US nuclear weapons to USAF Lakenheath in Suffolk, UK. The result is a fascinating insight into the story behind the film, and a warning of the dangers of the US plan to move first-strike, so-called “battlefield”, nuclear weapons into Europe while it is in the throes of a war. 

Here are some links to the publications/books/articles mentioned in the talk:

The Spokesman 155: Oppenheimer in Mind https://spokesmanbooks.org/product/the-spokesman-155-oppenheimer-in-mind/

This includes Dan Ellsberg’s ‘Call to Mutiny’ but you can also find the text of this article here: https://www.ellsberg.net/call-to-mutiny/

Leo Szilard is a very interesting character who did important work in physics and for our movement. His short story, ‘My Trial as a War Criminal’ can be read here:https://chicagounbound.uchicago.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2592&context=uclrev. This story is also included in a collection titled The Voice of the Dolphins which is available second hand from the usual places. Spokesman published a copy of the petition Szilard raised in the last issue of our journal. You can see it at the end of this article – a review of Michael Mears’ ‘The Mistake’ - https://spokesmanbooks.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/8TheMistakeSpk154.pdf

Apart from the Russell titles (see https://spokesmanbooks.org/product-category/bertrand-russell/) I also mentioned Human Extinction by Emile Torres. I managed to get a review copy (free!) which was a relief as the book costs something like £130. Happily, Emile runs a lively website (https://www.xriskology.com/) where you can find many of his articles (including an essay on the book) and a video where he introduces his work. Worth dipping in to if the theme catches your attention!