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Sonne, Isaiah, June 20, 1948
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Dear Professor Einstein: | Dear Professor Einstein: | ||
| − | I have given thought to your kind communication of June 12, and I take the liberty to express my humble opinion on this matter. I fully agree with you about the gravity of the present situation and the duty imposed upon each of us to spare no effort to avert the catastrophe. However, I doubt whether " | + | I have given thought to your kind communication of June 12, and I take the liberty to express my humble opinion on this matter. I fully agree with you about the gravity of the present situation and the duty imposed upon each of us to spare no effort to avert the catastrophe. However, I doubt whether "worldgovernment" is the right direction for such effort. It seems to me that we should rather restrict our aims to the immediate needs, and these are to bring about a minimum of mutual trust and understanding between the two opposite camps, so as to make negotiations possible, and solutions arrived at by negotiations workable. |
| − | Indeed, such minimum mutual confidence is obviously the premise and preamble to any plan of a worldgovernment. Now, if we can achieve the necessary mutual understanding for this | + | Indeed, such minimum mutual confidence is obviously the premise and preamble to any plan of a worldgovernment. Now, if we can achieve the necessary mutual understanding for this purpose, the worldgovernment machine is superluous, and may even become a stumbling block. We had worldgovernments enough in the past, to mention only the Roman Empire and its offshoot in the Middle Ages. In the present frame of mind a worldgovernment would be a revival of these institutions. For all the issues would then be determined by the interest of the most powerful nation or group of nations (vedi United Nations). Yes, if we succeed in setting up a worldgovernment, the next generation, I am afraid, will have the difficult task struggle for its dissolution, just as the Ancient world and the Middle Ages had to struggle for centuries to pull down their "worldgovernments, their empires. |
| − | As to the specific task of averting the peril of an atomic war, I doubt very much whether worldgovernment plus | + | As to the specific task of averting the peril of an atomic war, I doubt very much whether worldgovernment plus international control could perform the miracle. There is only one way to remove the danger of an atomic war, and this is to make the atomic weapons available to as many nations as possible. It is the best control we could escogitate; it worked perfectly in preventing the use of bacteriological weapons which are almost as deadly as the atomic ones. Not even the Germans dared to resort to a chemical war, because they knew that there will be retaliation. As soon as the atomic weapons will be available to most of the greater powers in both opposite camps- the danger of their use will disappear, and no other control will be necessary. |
This is perhaps the greatest contribution that scientists can make at present to peace and civilization. | This is perhaps the greatest contribution that scientists can make at present to peace and civilization. | ||
Revision as of Apr 6, 2015 11:52:22 AM
Isaiah Sonne THE HEBREW UNION COLLEGE CINCINNATI 20, OHIO June 20, 1948
Dear Professor Einstein:
I have given thought to your kind communication of June 12, and I take the liberty to express my humble opinion on this matter. I fully agree with you about the gravity of the present situation and the duty imposed upon each of us to spare no effort to avert the catastrophe. However, I doubt whether "worldgovernment" is the right direction for such effort. It seems to me that we should rather restrict our aims to the immediate needs, and these are to bring about a minimum of mutual trust and understanding between the two opposite camps, so as to make negotiations possible, and solutions arrived at by negotiations workable.
Indeed, such minimum mutual confidence is obviously the premise and preamble to any plan of a worldgovernment. Now, if we can achieve the necessary mutual understanding for this purpose, the worldgovernment machine is superluous, and may even become a stumbling block. We had worldgovernments enough in the past, to mention only the Roman Empire and its offshoot in the Middle Ages. In the present frame of mind a worldgovernment would be a revival of these institutions. For all the issues would then be determined by the interest of the most powerful nation or group of nations (vedi United Nations). Yes, if we succeed in setting up a worldgovernment, the next generation, I am afraid, will have the difficult task struggle for its dissolution, just as the Ancient world and the Middle Ages had to struggle for centuries to pull down their "worldgovernments, their empires.
As to the specific task of averting the peril of an atomic war, I doubt very much whether worldgovernment plus international control could perform the miracle. There is only one way to remove the danger of an atomic war, and this is to make the atomic weapons available to as many nations as possible. It is the best control we could escogitate; it worked perfectly in preventing the use of bacteriological weapons which are almost as deadly as the atomic ones. Not even the Germans dared to resort to a chemical war, because they knew that there will be retaliation. As soon as the atomic weapons will be available to most of the greater powers in both opposite camps- the danger of their use will disappear, and no other control will be necessary.
This is perhaps the greatest contribution that scientists can make at present to peace and civilization.
Sincerely yours,
Isaiah Sonne