This October is the 60th anniversary of the Cuban Missile Crisis, arguably the closest our world has ever come to thermonuclear war. Cuba, having recently fended off a military invasion attempt by the United States, had made a deal with the Soviet Union to base Soviet nuclear weapons in Cuba as a deterrent against future American aggression. The Soviet Union, after years of watching the United States and NATO attempt to encircle and choke off the communist world, was happy to have an ally so strategically close to the United States. But when American spy planes discovered the missile installation sites in Cuba before they were ready, the revelation triggered an international crisis. The Committee for Nonviolent Action (CNVA), the largest and most active nonviolent direct action antiwar group in the United States at the time, had just the year before walked across the continental United States and then across Europe to Moscow, urging all who would listen to consider the most radical proposals to prevent nuclear war. They had even met with Nina Khrushchev, wife of the Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev, impressing upon her the globe-spanning dangers of nuclear weapons and the arms race — echoes of which may have been on Nikita Khrushchev’s mind during October 1962. (See last week’s post on the CNVA meeting with Nina Khrushchev: https://www.voluntownpeacetrust.org/a-peace-of-history-blog/sf-moscow-walk-for-peace-meeting-mrs-khrushchev-1961) The development of the crisis happened so rapidly and with such uncertainty of the outcome that many peace groups, including the CNVA, seemed to have been temporarily paralyzed like much of the rest of the country. But as soon as the crisis had ended, the CNVA — and especially the New England chapter based in Voluntown, Connecticut — led a renewed effort to build an international movement to resist any attempts by their own nation-states to commit cross-border violence. While the Non-Aligned Movement had been developing at government levels at the time, the international antiwar movement of the 1960s more closely resembled the similar efforts made by international socialists in the run-up to the First World War: coalition-building through mutual aid, popular education through open meetings and the distribution of literature, and public acts to provoke compassion and critical thinking. Unpopular wars, of course, are difficult to continue waging and even more difficult to win. The shadow of the mushroom cloud has hung over us for the entirety of our current conflict with Russia. Since the beginning of the conflict in Ukraine, international war resisters and antiwar activists have called for Russian forces to cease the invasion, for NATO to cease provoking Russia, and for all parties to negotiate a resolution. But now, with recent reports that large swaths of the Russian citizenry are resisting the draft and taking actions to hasten the end of the war, it is time once again to refocus efforts on a new international movement — after all, the common people of any two countries often have more in common with each other than they do with their respective leaders. As the war drums continue to beat louder, it would be wise to remember that. (Click on the image below to download a PDF version of the original pages) -- —
Take Action The CT Committee for the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons organizes pro-disarmament demonstrations throughout the year. To participate in these demonstrations against nuclear arms and in support of the UN’s Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, please get in touch with us on Facebook at facebook.com/voluntownpeacetrust or email us at nuclearbanct@gmail.com. — Support Us If you like our weekly posts, please consider supporting this project with a one-time or recurring donation. Contributions of all sizes are appreciated. Click this link to learn more about what we do and how you can donate: https://www.mightycause.com/organization/Voluntown-Peace-Trust — Source Swann, Bob. “Cuba, Berlin, and International Action.” Polaris Action Bulletin (Number 36) — Further Resources Berrigan, Frida. “On Friday, ‘Say no to nuclear weapons.’” The Day. 1 August 2021 [Accessed 4 August 2021]. https://www.theday.com/article/20210801/OP03/210809975 “Electric Boat History.” General Dynamics: Electric Boat. [Accessed 4 August 2021]. http://www.gdeb.com/about/history/ “Nuclear Weapons: Who Has What at a Glance.” Arms Control Association. August 2020 [Accessed 4 August 2021]. https://www.armscontrol.org/factsheets/Nuclearweaponswhohaswhat “Treaty on the prohibition of nuclear weapons.” United Nations: Office of Disarmament Affairs. [Accessed 4 August 2021]. https://www.un.org/disarmament/wmd/nuclear/tpnw/ Wellerstein, Alex. “Nukemap.” Nuclear Secrecy. [Accessed 4 August 2021]. https://nuclearsecrecy.com/nukemap/ “What if We Nuke a City?” Kurzgesagt — In a Nutshell. 13 October 2019 [Accessed 4 August 2021]. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5iPH-br_eJQ The journey had taken ten months. They had walked across the continental United States and then across Europe, passed through the Iron Curtain, and had spread their message of peace and unilateral disarmament to the common citizens of both sides of the Cold War. Now, three days after their momentous entry into the Red Square, the CNVA San Francisco to Moscow Walk for Peace was to have an important meeting. Nina Khrushchev had graciously agreed to sit down with the Walkers to hear them out while her husband, Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev, was away. (See our previous post: https://www.voluntownpeacetrust.org/a-peace-of-history-blog/sf-moscow-walk-for-peace-arrival-at-the-red-square) According to reports from the Walkers present at the meeting, “Mrs Khrushchev’s” sentiments broadly echoed much of what they had been hearing from the common Soviet people: that unilateral disarmament on the part of the Soviet Union seemed infeasible while the United States continued its aggressive maneuvers, and that universal disarmament was her preference. Still, Nina Khrushchev did not seem to be some Party hardliner nor a submissive wife — she expressed her own personal discomfort with the nature of nuclear weapons and the “effects of the bomb tests,” and that she would impress these concerns on her husband urgently. The Walkers noted that there did not seem to be any “civil defense” infrastructure or program in the Soviet Union — in stark contrast to the “duck-and-cover” drills, construction of fallout shelters and bunkers, and mountains of leaflets and other paper instructions in the case of a nuclear attack. The implication was that the Soviet Union, despite what Western media often reported, was not prepared for nuclear war and would likely not start one. Meanwhile, the United States and its NATO allies were the ones most urgently sharpening their blades, encircling their rivals, and psychologically preparing their citizens for war against a boogeyman. Unfortunately, moral rightness is irrelevant to the inherent dangers of nuclear rivalry. Just the simple fact that two opposing sides have these double-edged weapons at all makes every negotiator more anxious and every negotiation more fraught. Over the next year, in an attempt to even the score in the arms race, the Soviet Union would make a fateful deal with Cuba. Just twelve months after the 1961 CNVA arrival in Moscow, the world would come to learn just how quickly nuclear brinkmanship could spiral out of control. (Click on the image below to download a PDF version of the original pages) -- —
Take Action The CT Committee for the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons organizes pro-disarmament demonstrations throughout the year. To participate in these demonstrations against nuclear arms and in support of the UN’s Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, please get in touch with us on Facebook at facebook.com/voluntownpeacetrust or email us at nuclearbanct@gmail.com. — Support Us If you like our weekly posts, please consider supporting this project with a one-time or recurring donation. Contributions of all sizes are appreciated. Click this link to learn more about what we do and how you can donate: https://www.mightycause.com/organization/Voluntown-Peace-Trust — Source Lyttle, Bradford. You Come with Naked Hands: The Story of the San Francisco to Moscow Walk for Peace. Greenleaf Books, Raymond, New Hampshire: 1966. This month, we mark the 61th anniversary of the completion of the CNVA San Francisco to Moscow Walk for Peace. In October 1961, flanked by enormous crowds of Soviet citizens and surrounded by press and filmmakers, the core group of walkers stepped into the Red Square in Moscow. Over the previous 10 months, they had crossed the entire span of the continental United States, then the span of Europe, almost completely on foot. Between the Walk’s initial conception at the Hygienic Restaurant in New London, Connecticut in September 1960, all the way to the Walk’s conclusion in Moscow, Soviet Union in October 1961, the CNVA received significant domestic and international support. Thousands of supporters sent material or monetary donations in preparation for and during the Walk. Hundreds met and accompanied the core group for long stretches of the journey, while thousands more across the route came out to hear what these unusual strangers had to say. With reporting from the AP, CBS, and other major news companies, countless more people around the world would learn about the story. With the help of their many supporters, a hardscrabble team of peace activists had shared their message with both the United States and the Soviet Union: a true end to war can only happen when one side voluntarily chooses to demilitarize; true peace can only start with “unilateral disarmament.” The Walk, and especially the climactic demonstration in Moscow, was full of surprises. From the countryside to the cities, the Soviet people were extremely eager to hear out the unique perspectives and arguments of these Americans who had walked for thousands of miles like religious pilgrims to reach them. These were unlike any Americans the Soviet people had heard of. And contrary to expectations, the CNVA activists were permitted to speak freely and openly with the Soviet people everywhere they went. While the Soviet Union had its own state-sponsored “Peace Councils” which advocated for universal disarmament, most suspected the “PC” officials of being, if not disingenuous, then perhaps controlled by Soviet political leaders. And yet, the PC officials that the CNVA walkers encountered were generally very helpful, reasonable, and sometimes downright permissive — especially compared to some of the treatment those same activists encountered at the hands of US government officials at home. Indeed, as the walkers experienced for themselves, Western media and government officials were the ones who were often blatantly hypocritical, shadily disingenuous, and full of both hidden and naked prejudices. Not everything on the journey went perfectly, and logistical issues dogged the group even to the last days of the Walk, but “considering the proportions of [their] assignment,” the completion of the project was a truly impressive feat. We at VPT are proud to be connected to this amazing world odyssey for peace. (Click on the image below to download a PDF version of the original pages) -- —
Take Action The CT Committee for the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons organizes pro-disarmament demonstrations throughout the year. To participate in these demonstrations against nuclear arms and in support of the UN’s Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, please get in touch with us on Facebook at facebook.com/voluntownpeacetrust or email us at nuclearbanct@gmail.com. — Support Us If you like our weekly posts, please consider supporting this project with a one-time or recurring donation. Contributions of all sizes are appreciated. Click this link to learn more about what we do and how you can donate: https://www.mightycause.com/organization/Voluntown-Peace-Trust — Source Lyttle, Bradford. You Come with Naked Hands: The Story of the San Francisco to Moscow Walk for Peace. Greenleaf Books, Raymond, New Hampshire: 1966. Last week, we presented two obituaries for the 20th anniversary of the death of Chuck Matthei, who’s tenure at VPT marked a special chapter in our history. As the Executive Director of the Institute for Community Economics (ICE), which at first was based in Voluntown, and later as the founder of Equity Trust which was also based at VPT, Chuck continued to develop the economic justice programs first explored by earlier movements, such as the American civil rights movement and the Gandhian anticolonial movement in India. (See our post from last week to learn more about Chuck’s life and work: remembering-chuck-matthei-1948-2002.html) Directly below is Chuck Matthei’s obituary written by Emmett Jarrett , a former chair of VPT, and co-founder of St. Francis House in New London. It appeared in the magazine The Witness in 2002 and was republished in a number of places. Below that is a link to an essay co-written by Chuck Matthei and VPT Board Chair Joanne Sheehan articulating his economic and moral philosophy, as well as the actions and projects needed to realize that philosophy in the world. It was one of the last essays Chuck wrote. (Click on the image below to download a PDF version of Emmett Jarrett’s article) — --
Toward a Nonviolent Economics By Chuck Matthei & Joanne Sheehan May-June 2001 — Take Action The CT Committee for the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons organizes pro-disarmament demonstrations throughout the year. To participate in these demonstrations against nuclear arms and in support of the UN’s Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, please get in touch with us on Facebook at facebook.com/voluntownpeacetrust or email us at nuclearbanct@gmail.com. — Support Us If you like our weekly posts, please consider supporting this project with a one-time or recurring donation. Contributions of all sizes are appreciated. Click this link to learn more about what we do and how you can donate: https://www.mightycause.com/organization/Voluntown-Peace-Trust — Source Jarrett, Emmett. “Remembering Chuck Matthei.” The Witness, pp. 14-15. March/April 2003. https://www.episcopalarchives.org/e-archives/the_witness/pdf/2003_Watermarked/Witness_20030301.pdf Matthei, Chuck and Joanne Sheehan. “Toward a Nonviolent Economics.” Nonviolent Activist. May/June 2001. http://equitytrust.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/NVA-May-June-2001-Toward-A-Nonviolent-Economics.pdf |
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