Indices of World Tension in The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists

Abstract

The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists (The Bulletin) was founded shortly after the U.S. dropped atomic bombs on Japan. Its founders were primarily scientists who had been involved in the projects leading to the development of nuclear weapons. Shocked by this dramatic evidence of the potentially disastrous effects of science upon human survival, they formed a group dedicated to publicizing the technical and social issues involved. The Bulletin publishes articles dealing with such scientific and technological issues as the power and yield of nuclear weapons, the detectability of explosions, and the construction of reactors; and with such nontechnical issues as ethical and educational concerns in science, the political background of arms limitation negotiations, domestic pressures related to security, and the international communication of scientific discoveries. Throughout the 36 years of its existence, The Bulletin has taken as its major focus the stability of peace in the world and the dangers posed to that stability by various national and international events.