Clear and Present Danger; The Editors Reply

Abstract

I liked Jonathan A. Leonard's thoughtful and unflinching examination of the horrifying consequences of a nuclear war and the probability of one's occurring (Danger: Nuclear War, Monthly Review, February 1981). More needs to be known about these consequences, and such knowledge needs to be broadly and deeply disseminated until it is etched in the awareness of all people, particularly those living in countries possessing nuclear weapons. We should not leave the knowledge of the consequences of such a horrifying event to the experts. Nor should we yield to the few the power to decide upon the use of these weapons. If we claim to have learned anything during the past twenty years, we should have learned that You can't trust the experts! They lie, they distort, they ignore, and they omit; and in doing so, they inflict great evil on humanity. With the exception of a few (like the members of Physicians for Social Responsibility) either they are quiet or they sing the ideological tunes of their employers, private corporations, governments, and the institutions they control. The times cry out for a democratization both of knowledge and decision- making power, especially in regard to waging a nuclear war—quite possibly uncontrollable and of immeasurable destructive magnitude.This article can also be found at the Monthly Review website, where most recent articles are published in full.Click here to purchase a PDF version of this article at the Monthly Review website.