Leo Szilard and the Founding of Council for a Livable World
May 04, 2012

Written by William Lanouette & Ulrika Grufman

In October 1961, while receiving an honorary degree at Brandeis University, Leo Szilard voiced his fears about the nuclear arms race. When someone asked him what could be done about it, he realized that thinking up clever ideas for arms control is not enough. You also need the power – political, legal, financial – to enforce your views.

Szilard pondered these problems back in Washington and from these musings came one of Szilard’s most successful legacies – the creation of Council for a Livable World, a political action committee for arms control. Szilard thought about creating “a sort of lobby” that “would not only speak with the voice of reason” but also “deliver the votes.”

“Neither reason nor votes alone mean very much, but the combination,” he thought, could be “unbeatable.”

How, Szilard wondered, could an informed minority use its unity and its money effectively? A rational cost-benefit calculation led him to target the U.S. Senate. He hoped that the United States and Soviet Union would negotiate and ratify treaties, first to ban nuclear tests and eventually to limit nuclear weapons. Treaties must be ratified with the “advice and consent” of the U.S. Senate.

Council for a Livable World Celebrates 50th Anniversary on June 6
Apr 12, 2012

Fifty years ago, nuclear physicist Leo Szilard founded Council for a Livable World to deliver “the sweet voice of reason” about nuclear weapons to Congress, the White House, and the American public.  Our first board meeting was held in June 1962 in Washington, D.C.

Council for a Livable World and its sister organization, the Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation, will be celebrating our 50th anniversary on June 6, 2012, in Washington, D.C.

We are planning two memorable events in Washington, DC, to bring together past and future supporters, Members of Congress and national security advocacy group leaders from around the country.

CLW History in Interesting Places
Sep 25, 2009

Random Friday fact...

While looking for petition images online, I just looked up "letter" in Wikipedia. And what is the sample "letter" image at the top of the page? A copy of the letter written by Albert Einstein and Council for a Livable World founder Leo Szilard to Franklin Roosevelt that helped start the Manhattan Project. Amazing stuff.

You can see the letter on the Wikipedia page here.

Or you can check out more about the Council's history and Szilard's work on our website.