Letter from Linus Pauling to Salvador E. Luria [An Appeal by American Scientists to the Governments and People of the World]

Title:

Letter from Linus Pauling to Salvador E. Luria [An Appeal by American Scientists to the Governments and People of the World]

Creator:

Pauling, Linus, 1901-1994

Recipient:

Luria, S. E. (Salvador Edward), 1912-1991

Date:

15 May 1957

Description:

This letter, sent to Luria and thousands of other scientists in the United States, initiated Pauling's best-known crusade to combat nuclear weapons. In it, he asked Luria to join others in an "Appeal by American Scientists" urging the cessation of nuclear weapons tests. Within ten days of its drafting, the letter received over two thousand positive responses. Pauling released the appeal to the public on 3 June 1957, and subsequently sent a copy to President Eisenhower. The president lamented the interference of "scientists that seem to be out of their own field of competence" in U.S. nuclear policies. On 15 January 1958, Pauling presented to the United Nations another petition signed by 9,235 scientists from around the world protesting nuclear testing. Bowing to increased pressure in both countries, in 1963 the U.S. and Soviet Union signed the Partial Test Ban Treaty, which banned nuclear tests in the atmosphere, underwater, and in space. In 1962, Pauling was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize--he had earlier won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry--for his efforts to end atmospheric testing.

Original Repository:

American Philosophical Society. Library. Salvador Luria Papers

Rights:

Reproduced with permission of Oregon State University Library, Ava Helen and Linus Pauling Papers.

Genre:

Letters (correspondence)
Petitions

Subject:

Ethics

Format:

Text

Extent:

3 pages

Relation:

Letter from Salvador E. Luria to Linus Pauling, 1960
An Appeal by American Scientists to the Governments and People of the World, 1957

Language:

English

Legacy Source Citation:

Original Repository. American Philosophical Society. Library. Salvador Luria Papers. 12096

Legacy ID:

QLBBCS

NLM ID:

101584611X36

Profiles Collection:

The Salvador E. Luria Papers

Shareable Link:

https://profiles.nlm.nih.gov/101584611X36

Story Section:

Politics, Science, and Social Responsibility