Oral history of British science

Rotblat, Joseph (25 of 40). National Life Stories Collection: General

  • Add a note
    Log in to add a note at the bottom of this page.
  • All notes
  • My notes
  • Hide notes
Please click to leave a note

The British Library Board acknowledges the intellectual property rights of those named as contributors to this recording and the rights of those not identified.
Legal and ethical usage »

Tags (top 25):
(No tags found for this item)

What is this? Log in to add a term that describes this item and help make it easier to find.

  • Type

    sound

  • Duration

    00:25:40

  • Shelf mark

    C464/17

  • Subjects

    Physics

  • Recording date

    2000-05

  • Interviewees

    Rotblat, Joseph, 1908-2005 (speaker, male)

  • Interviewers

    Thompson, Katherine (speaker, female)

  • Abstract

    Part 25: The 2nd committee agreed on important issues which became the agenda for further meetings. The 3rd committee agreed on role of scientists - i.e. not to accept dogma. Russians accepted!! JR talks about press conference, questions, Cyrus Eaton's influence, responses. JR invited to Japan for congress against atom bomb. Describes visit to Japan and discussions there. JR talks about effects of radiation, his experiments on mice and his conclusions. More about Japan and his speech there. Talk about December meeting at Barts including Russell, Hungarian and Weizsacker, JR and Rabinowitch. They prepared questionnaire for further meetings sent to all scientists. Prepared 3 types of activities - A. large meetings - for public opinion, B. educating scientists, C. private meetings - to go into depth of questions. Most scientists were in favour of B and C. Russians wanted A. Long discussion, took vote in committee, result 3 against 2, agreed on compromise - B and also C, this became model for future. B for annual conference and C for workshops. Opinions also asked of people like Priestly, Kingsley Martin, Lonsdale and others. Feb. and March too cold for Pugwash so meetings were held in Quebec and large meeting in Vienna.

  • Description

    Nobel Peace Prize winner and nuclear physicist Joseph Rotblat in conversation about his life and work. A key figure in the development of the atomic bomb, he left the US government's Manhattan Project once it became apparent that Nazi Germany did not have the capability to build a bomb of its own.

  • Related links

    Visit this interviewee's page on the 'Voices of Science' web resource

  • Metadata record:

    View full metadata for this item