Los Alamos

    I just got back from speaking to the Los Alamos Committee on Arms Control and International Security.  My invitation came from Cheryl Rofer, who worked at Los Alamos for many years and heads the committee (Cheryl writes a blog on world politics and other topics called "Whirledview" with two other women which I recommend). It was remarkable to see the birthplace of the Bomb - the physical beauty of Los Alamos is inspiring - but more impressive was to talk to some of the people who were involved in the effort and to hear their thoughts about where we are with nuclear weapons and where we should go. Most exciting was an idea that came up during dinner out of a still classified experience that one of the guys working in bomb design related. An idea for a powerful way to jump start negotiations to limit nuclear weapons.  (More about that in a subsequent post.)

    Even in Los Alamos, where you would expect people to feel most proprietary about the Bomb, where you would think that they would not be willing to consider unfamiliar ideas (like the notion that the Bomb didn't end the war in the Pacific), I found them to be friendly, open-minded, smart (of course) and receptive. At the end of the discussion following the presentation, it seemed to me that there was general consensus that nuclear weapons are big, powerful, and not particularly useful.

    It was a very satisfying trip and it stuck me on the flight back that if it's possible for people who have so much invested - people who should be emotionally blinded to the problems that nuclear weapons have - if it's possible for them to see the situation soberly and clearly, it speaks well for the future. I came back buoyed with hope about getting more sensible policies about nuclear weapons put in place.

Comments

[Todd A. Hanson]

Mr. Wilson,

I am glad you enjoyed your visit to Los Alamos. Although many of us missed your talk, the Los Alamos Monitor, the local paper, reported on it and in doing so pointed to your International Security paper, which I found to be intriguing and well presented.

I would agree that if we here in Los Alamos can recognize and begin to confront the inherent political and social problems with nuclear weapons, others can too.

The Monitor story is at: http://www.lcni5.com/cgi-bin/storyviewarchive.cgi?075+2008430.News.2008429-5513-075-075007.archive+News

[Dinshaw Burjorjee]

Most scientific types are open to arguments about nuclear power, nuclear weapons, the undesirability of weapons in space and the like. It is the "greens" who have closed minds. It is not at all surprising that the talk was well received at Los Alamos.