Apocalypse Never

FM.qxd 2/4/10 11:17 AM Page 1 praise for Apocalypse Never “Americans have ignored two facts about nuclear weapons that Tad Daley brilliantly illuminates in historical perspective. First are the con- sequences of what J. Robert Oppenheimer called our use of atomic bombs against ‘an essentially defeated enemy.’ Second is our responsibility for promoting nuclear deterrence as a legitimate policy. We are thus largely responsible for the threat that nuclear weapons pose to the continued survival of humanity, and we are the only nation capable of successfully leading an effort to abolish nuclear weapons. Can we do it? Yes we can, and Apocalypse Never shows us how.” —Martin J. Sherwin, University Professor of History, George Mason University; author of A World Destroyed and coauthor of American Prometheus, winner of the Pulitzer Prize “While spiritual progressives seek to end all war, a major step is to end the threat of nuclear war. Tad Daley shows us that this is actually within our grasp, and an imperative for the survival of our planet and life itself.” —Rabbi Michael Lerner, editor, Tikkun, and chair, Interfaith Network of Spiritual Progressives “Tad Daley has performed a truly rare feat. He doesn’t offer the same tired survey of Iran and North Korea and the contemporary nuclear landscape. Instead, he convinces the reader completely that the only possible solution to the threat of nuclear annihilation is the abolition of nuclear weapons. Mr. Daley is an elegant writer, and his wonderful first book Apocalypse Never will enable both experts and regular folks to see, breathe, and believe in the dawn of a nuclear weapon–free world.” —Daniel Ellsberg, former State and Defense Department official and author of Secrets: A Memoir of Vietnam and the Pentagon Papers “Few Americans know that more than forty years ago, in the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, our country committed to eliminate its entire nuclear arsenal. In Apocalypse Never, Tad Daley traces the tortured history of this promise—and charts a course toward at last fulfilling it.” —Michael Douglas, Academy Award–winning actor and U.N. Messenger of Peace FM.qxd 2/4/10 11:17 AM Page 2 “Tad Daley makes a compelling case for eliminating nuclear weapons now, before they are used intentionally by a terrorist group or acciden- tally by a nuclear-armed nation. The weight of the evidence supplied in Apocalypse Never leads to an inescapable conclusion: the fewer nuclear weapons there are, the safer we all will be. And it makes it clear that our ultimate security depends on getting rid of these terrible weapons once and for all.” —William D. Hartung, New America Foundation, and coeditor of Lessons from Iraq: Preventing the Next War “The late U.S. Senator Alan Cranston (D-CAL, 1969–1993) served as a mentor both to me and to Tad Daley. Senator Cranston’s single greatest passion was to rid the world of the scourge of nuclear weapons. Apocalypse Never identifies and counters every one of the daunting chal- lenges inherent in this task. This book is a compelling call to action.” —Congressman Mel Levine (D-CAL, 1983–1993) “In a fresh, lively, accessible style, Apocalypse Never goes to the essence of complex issues of why and how to leave the age of nuclear weapons behind. Read, act, and survive!” —John Burroughs, executive director, Lawyers Committee on Nuclear Policy, and coeditor, Nuclear Disorder or Cooperative Security? “Apocalypse Never describes why the abolition of nuclear weapons is both imperative and possible. In clear, everyday prose, Tad Daley breathes new life into the anti-nuclear movement with a strong sense of hope and an inspiring call to action.” —Eric Garcetti, president, Los Angeles City Council “Tad Daley not only provides a scholarly review of reasons for ridding the world of nuclear weapons, he uses the essential but underused gift of imagination to design a plausible pathway to a new world.” —David Krieger, founder and president, Nuclear Age Peace Foundation and author of Nuclear Weapons and the World Court FM.qxd 2/4/10 11:17 AM Page 3 “Apocalypse Never persuasively discusses the dangers of living with nuclear weapons, as well as immediate steps that can reduce their threat. Some, including me, may question whether it is possible or even desir- able to discuss a nuclear weapons–free world, but the issues Daley treats deserve serious discussion and debate.” —Michael D. Intriligator, professor of economics, political science, and public policy, UCLA “Apocalypse Never builds a compelling case for one of the most urgent causes of our time—the global abolition of nuclear weapons. Tad Daley writes with all the seriousness the subject requires, but refreshingly eschews the jargon too often applied by ‘experts’ that estranges those not conversant in their lingo.” —Kevin Martin, executive director, Peace Action “Nuclear disarmament, proliferation, and terrorism have been studied primarily by experts and policy wonks, the nuclear ‘priesthood,’ if you will. It is a subject that cries out for clarity, interest, and the ability to engage the educated reader. Tad Daley answers this call splendidly.” —Robert K. Musil, Nuclear Studies Institute, American University; former executive director, Physicians for Social Responsibility, Nobel Peace Laureate organization “In Apocalypse Never, Tad Daley illuminates the moral abomination that highlights the American nuclear legacy. Then, he charts a course not only toward nuclear disarmament, but indeed toward general and com- plete disarmament, and an end to militarism itself. Read this book, and act upon its precepts.” —Saul Mendlovitz, Dag Hammarskjöld Professor, Rutgers Law School “Tad Daley is a genius on nuclear abolition. His knowledge spans decades. I’ve watched him educating small groups, far from the spot- light, and his message is always shining and clear—that the shameful, brief history of nuclear weapons must now come to an end.” —Mimi Kennedy, actor and chair, Progressive Democrats of America FM.qxd 2/4/10 11:17 AM Page 4 “Apocalypse Never is a compelling book whose time has come. Tad Daley’s prose, like his charismatic oratory, is forceful and exciting. His blueprint for abolition is a wonderful stew of history, humor, and strategic thinking—and it will motivate readers to make it a reality.” —Don Kraus, chief executive officer, Citizens for Global Solutions “In real terms, not just in theory, Tad Daley answers all the hard ques- tions. Buy it, read it, and take action with the millions of citizens join- ing this growing movement.” —Tim Carpenter, executive director, Progressive Democrats of America “Apocalypse Never is a roadmap for a world free of nuclear weapons. If ordinary people get to decide—and not just those who believe in nuclear brinksmanship—this book will be our guide to a safer, saner world.” —Michael J. Wilson, national director, Americans for Democratic Action “This book is a timely discussion of the difficult choices our country must make as we move towards a world free of nuclear weapons.” —Ambassador Robert T. Grey, Jr., former U.S. Representative to the U.N. Conference on Disarmament; director, Bipartisan Security Group “Tad Daley joins the ranks of Henry Kissinger, George Schultz, Sam Nunn and other statesmen calling for abolition. He alerts us to the chal- lenges we face in a netherworld of psychological disarmament, and reveals that, thanks to Bush and Cheney’s fabulous misadventure, ‘Axis of Evil’ dictators have learned that it is better to have WMDs than be wrongly accused of having them.” —Ian Masters, Background Briefing, KPFK/Pacifica Public Radio “Read this book as though your life and the lives of your children depend on it . because they do.” —John Loretz, International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War, Nobel Peace Laureate organization “It’s been said that a wise man knows what’s watt and Tad Daley’s book is what one might call a power generator.” —Edward Asner, Emmy Award–winning actor FM.qxd 2/4/10 11:17 AM Page i Apocalypse Never FM.qxd 2/4/10 11:17 AM Page ii FM.qxd 2/4/10 11:17 AM Page iii Apocalypse Never F Forging the Path to a Nuclear Weapon–Free World Tad Daley Rutgers University Press New Brunswick, New Jersey, and London FM.qxd 2/4/10 11:17 AM Page iv Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Daley, Tad. Apocalypse never : forging the path to a nuclear weapon–free world / Tad Daley. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 978-0-8135-4661-2 (hardcover : alk. paper) 1. Nuclear disarmament. 2. Nuclear arms control 3. Nuclear nonproliferation. I. Title. JZ5665.D35 2010 327.1Ј747—dc22 2009018769 A British Cataloging-in-Publication record for this book is available from the British Library. Copyright © 2010 by Tad Daley All rights reserved No part of this book may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without written permission from the publisher. Please contact Rutgers University Press, 100 Joyce Kilmer Avenue, Piscataway, NJ 08854–8099. The only exception to this prohibition is “fair use” as defined by U.S. copyright law. Visit our Web site: http://rutgerspress.rutgers.edu Manufactured in the United States of America FM.qxd 2/4/10 11:17 AM Page v For my late parents, Diana Jankey Daley and Claude Daley, Jr., who planted the seeds of what I hope blossoms in here, and who live on in many elsewheres. And for H. G. Wells, George F. Kennan, Robert A. Heinlein, and Professor Philip S. Haring of Knox College, who taught me to ponder not only what we are, but what we might become. And, most of all, for my beloved wife, Kitty Felde, who never, for a single moment, did not believe that I could, and should, and would.

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