The Night After …… Climatic and Biological Consequences of a nuclear war -Edited and with an Introduction by Yevgeni Velikhov

This book has been prepared by a public body, Soviet Scientists’ Committee
for the Defence of Peace Against Nuclear Threat, a non-governmental organization instituted at a National Conference in Moscow in May, 1983. The Conference brought together scientists from all regions of the Soviet Union and our colleagues from many other countries were also attending. This widely representative scientific forum discussed ways of safeguarding peace and the role of science in this historic process. The final document, which is included in this volume, declares that ‘scientists …by their knowledge, experience, and authority, must actively promote the peoples’ struggle for saving the world from nuclear destruction’. The Soviet Scientists’ Committee (SSC) operates on the basis of the goals defined by the Conference. They are, first, to recruit all those employed in the sphere of science, regardless of their speciality, for a vigorous effort to avert a nuclear catastrophe, and, second, to communicate to the general public a
meaningful, scientifically coherent, and comprehensive portrayal of the dangers for mankind if the present arms race-quantitative but above all qualitative—is allowed to continue unabated.Our underlying assumption in doing this is that scientists can and moreover
must influence the course of political events, because no one is better equipped to perceive and project the tragic consequences of a nuclear conflict.The strength of their influence is redoubled when based, not on the opinion of any one scientist, however authoritative, but on the impartially and comprehensively formulated, collective judgement of scientists from different countries and working in different areas of knowledge. We strongly believe we can do a great deal to improve the current tense international situation, and promote the preservation of peace.