The Technical Background: British Scientists and Nuclear Arms Control, 1957–63

Abstract

In the nineteenth century science was seen as a synonym for ‘progress’, but in the twentieth century, and particularly since the Second World War, a prolific ‘anti-science’ movement has grown up.1 This novel attitude has arisen in part as a response to the developments in nuclear physics over the past forty years. Many British scientists (and not only physicists) consider that the application of nuclear physics to warfare was, and is, an ‘abuse of science’. Since the dropping of atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki individual groups of scientists in Britain and elsewhere, have pressed either for complete disarmament or for some measure of control over the number, type or spread of nuclear weapons. Furthermore, British government scientists not only contributed to the development of Britain’s nuclear programme, but also to analysis of the means by which to secure verifiable methods of nuclear arms control.KeywordsNuclear WeaponAtomic Energy CommissionNuclear TestRadiation HazardUnderground ExplosionThese keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.