Vladimir Lenin (1870–1924) Russian politician, led the October Revolution
Source: The Military Programme of the Proletarian Revolution
A collection of quotes on the topic of disarmament, war, world, peace.
Vladimir Lenin (1870–1924) Russian politician, led the October Revolution
Source: The Military Programme of the Proletarian Revolution
John R. Platt (1918–1992) American physicist
Alexander Rich and John R. Platt (1966) "How to Keep the Peace" in: Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists. April 1966. p. 14
Alfred de Zayas (1947) American United Nations official
CELAC / Zone of Peace: “A key step to countering the globalization of militarism” – UN Expert http://www.ohchr.org/EN/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews.aspx?NewsID=14215&LangID=E. <br class="br">2014
Alfred de Zayas (1947) American United Nations official
United Nations General Assembly - Promotion of a democratic and equitable international order http://www.ohchr.org/Documents/Issues/IntOrder/A-68-284_en.pdf. <br class="br">2013
Lester del Rey (1915–1993) Novelist, short story writer, editor
Source: The Eleventh Commandment (1962), Chapter 2 (p. 14)
Alfred de Zayas (1947) American United Nations official
United Nations expert urges states to cut military spending and invest more in human development http://www.unog.ch/80256EDD006B9C2E/(httpNewsByYear_en)/D5D061E9891363C1C1257CB7003055E0?OpenDocument. <br class="br">2014
N. G. L. Hammond (1907–2001) British classical scholar
"The Genius of Alexander the Great", p.18, Gerald Duckworth & Co Ltd (November 26, 2004)
Theodore Dalrymple (1949) English doctor and writer
Why Theo Van Gogh Was Murdered http://www.city-journal.org/html/eon_11_15_04td.html (November 15, 2004). <br class="br">City Journal (1998 - 2008)
Raymond Poincaré (1860–1934) 10th President of the French Republic
David Lloyd George, The Truth about the Peace Treaties. Volume I (London: Victor Gollancz, 1938), p. 252.
About
Stafford Cripps (1889–1952) British politician
Speech in Bristol (28 October 1933), quoted in The Times (30 October 1933), p. 14.
Jo Grimond (1913–1993) British soldier, politician and academic
In the Alliance magazine (December/January 1982–3).
Alfred de Zayas (1947) American United Nations official
Interim report of the Independent Expert on the promotion of a democratic and equitable international order, Alfred Maurice de Zayas http://www.ohchr.org/Documents/Issues/IntOrder/A.67.277_en.pdf. <br class="br">2012
Alfred de Zayas (1947) American United Nations official
Report of the Independent Expert on the promotion of a democratic and equitable international order exploring the adverse impacts of military expenditures on the realization of a democratic and equitable international order http://www.ohchr.org/EN/Issues/IntOrder/Pages/Reports.aspx. <br class="br">2015, Report submitted to the UN Human Rights Council
Kirby Page (1890–1957) American clergyman
What Does God Want Us to Do About Russia? (1948)
Robert Cecil, 1st Viscount Cecil of Chelwood (1864–1958) lawyer, politician and diplomat in the United Kingdom
The Future of Civilization (1938)
Ramsay MacDonald (1866–1937) British statesman; prime minister of the United Kingdom
Speech to the Geneva Disarmament Conference (1933), quoted by John Gunther, Inside Europe (1940), p. 338, as an example of MacDonald's increasing mental deterioration.
1930s
Raymond Poincaré (1860–1934) 10th President of the French Republic
David Lloyd George, The Truth about the Peace Treaties. Volume II (London: Victor Gollancz, 1938), p. 1410.
About
Calvin Coolidge (1872–1933) American politician, 30th president of the United States (in office from 1923 to 1929)
1920s, Second State of the Union Address (1924)
James Callaghan (1912–2005) Prime Minister of the United Kingdom; 1976-1979
The Guardian (19 November 1982)
Post-Prime Ministerial
Albert Einstein (1879–1955) German-born physicist and founder of the theory of relativity
1940s, The World As I See It (1949)
Stanisław Lem book Peace on Earth
Peace on Earth (1987), tr. Elinor Ford (1994) from Pokój na Ziemi, Ch. 2
L. Neil Smith (1946) American writer
"Murder by Gun Control".
Carl Romanelli (1959) American artist
on President Bush's policies regarding Iran and the Middle East
[March 14, 2006, http://www.commondreams.org/news2006/0314-16.htm, Press release: "Greens Urge Steps for Security in Response to Bush Policies on Iran and the Middle East", Common Dreams News Center, 2006-08-17]
W. Cleon Skousen book The Naked Communist
The Naked Communist (1958)
Mohamed ElBaradei (1942) Egyptian law scholar and diplomat, former Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency, and Nobel …
Saving Ourselves From Self-Destruction (2004)
Richard Nixon (1913–1994) 37th President of the United States of America
Remarks during a radio address in Moscow, quoted in "1959 Year In Review: Death of John Foster Dulles," http://www.upi.com/Audio/Year_in_Review/Events-of-1959/Death-of-John-Foster-Dulles/12295509433704-3/#title UPI.com (1959) <br class="br">1950s
Marshall McLuhan (1911–1980) Canadian educator, philosopher, and scholar-- a professor of English literature, a literary critic, and a …
Source: 1970s, From Cliché to Archetype (1970), p.202
Lal Bahadur Shastri (1904–1966) The second Prime Minister of the Republic of India and a leader of the Indian National Congress party
Vladimir Lenin (1870–1924) Russian politician, led the October Revolution
"The “Disarmament” Slogan" (October 1916) http://www.marxists.org/archive/lenin/works/1916/oct/01.htm; Collected Works, Vol. 23, p. 94-104. <br class="br">1910s
John Harsanyi (1920–2000) hungarian economist
Source: "Games with Incomplete Information," 1997, p. 138
L. Neil Smith (1946) American writer
"Vermont Fudge," http://www.ncc-1776.org/tle2009/tle511-20090322-04.html originally published in The Sierra Times 18 March 2002.
Smedley D. Butler (1881–1940) United States Marine Corps General, 2 time Medal of Honor recipient and activist
War is a racket (1935)
War is a racket (1935)
Alfred de Zayas (1947) American United Nations official
UN expert urges States to be more transparent on military expenditure
2014
Alfred de Zayas (1947) American United Nations official
2014
Source: Disarm and develop – UN expert urges win-win proposition for States and peoples
Jeremy Corbyn (1949) British Labour Party politician
Question http://hansard.millbanksystems.com/commons/1993/mar/09/strategic-review in the House of Commons (9 March 1993). <br class="br">1990s
Rosa Luxemburg (1871–1919) Polish Marxist theorist, socialist philosopher, and revolutionary
Die Friedensfreunde aus bürgerlichen Kreisen glauben, das sich Weltfriede und Abrüstung im Rahmen der heutigen Gesellschaftsordnung verwirklichen lassen, wir aber, die wir auf dem Boden der materialistischen Geschichtsauffassung und des wissenschaftlichen Sozialismus stehen, sind der Überzeugung, das der Militarismus erst mit dem kapitalistischen Klassenstaate zusammen aus der Welt geschafft werden kann.
Peace Utopias (1911)
John Dear (1959) Catholic priest from the United States
From the homepage of his official website JohnDear.org http://johndear.org/ (2017).
Mohamed ElBaradei (1942) Egyptian law scholar and diplomat, former Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency, and Nobel …
Nobel lecture (2005)
A. J. Muste (1885–1967) Christian pacifist and civil rights activist
As quoted in Our Generation Against Nuclear War (1983) by Dimitrios I. Roussopoulos.
Dwight D. Eisenhower (1890–1969) American general and politician, 34th president of the United States (in office from 1953 to 1961)
1960s, Farewell address (1961)
Jeremy Corbyn (1949) British Labour Party politician
Question http://hansard.millbanksystems.com/commons/1988/apr/26/united-states-forces in the House of Commons (26 April 1988). <br class="br">1980s
“Disarmament without checks is but a shadow — and a community without law is but a shell.”
John F. Kennedy (1917–1963) 35th president of the United States of America
1961, UN speech
Scott Ritter (1961) American weapons inspector and writer
Is Iraq a True Threat to the US? http://www.commondreams.org/views02/0721-02.htm, Boston Globe, July 2002 <br class="br">2000
George W. Bush (1946) 43rd President of the United States
2000s, 2003, A Vision for Iraq and the Iraqi people (March 2003)
Winston S. Churchill (1874–1965) Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
Speech https://hansard.parliament.uk/commons/1955-03-01/debates/ae81a20b-68e7-42d0-8cbb-d9589f53fc0d/Defence#1896 in the House of Commons (1 March 1955) <br class="br">Post-war years (1945–1955)
John F. Kennedy (1917–1963) 35th president of the United States of America
1962, Second State of the Union Address
Alfred de Zayas (1947) American United Nations official
United Nations expert urges states to cut military spending and invest more in human development http://www.unog.ch/80256EDD006B9C2E/(httpNewsByYear_en)/D5D061E9891363C1C1257CB7003055E0?OpenDocument. <br class="br">2014
Calvin Coolidge (1872–1933) American politician, 30th president of the United States (in office from 1923 to 1929)
1920s, Ordered Liberty and World Peace (1924)
Olavo de Carvalho (1947) Brazilian journalist, essayist and professor of philosophy
Jornal do Brasil - Pensando com a cabeça de George Soros http://www.olavodecarvalho.org/semana/061001jbdomingo.html (1 October 2006)
John F. Kennedy (1917–1963) 35th president of the United States of America
1961, UN speech
Context: For fifteen years this organization has sought the reduction and destruction of arms. Now that goal is no longer a dream — it is a practical matter of life or death. The risks inherent in disarmament pale in comparison to the risks inherent in an unlimited arms race.
In short, general and complete disarmament must no longer be a slogan, used to resist the first steps. It is no longer to be a goal without means of achieving it, without means of verifying its progress, without means of keeping the peace. It is now a realistic plan, and a test — a test of those only willing to talk and a test of those willing to act.
Such a plan would not bring a world free from conflict and greed — but it would bring a world free from the terrors of mass destruction. It would not usher in the era of the super state — but it would usher in an era in which no state could annihilate or be annihilated by another.
But to halt the spread of these terrible weapons, to halt the contamination of the air, to halt the spiraling nuclear arms race, we remain ready to seek new avenues of agreement, our new Disarmament Program thus includes the following proposals:
John F. Kennedy (1917–1963) 35th president of the United States of America
1963, Limited Nuclear Test Ban Treaty speech
Context: During the next several years, in addition to the four current nuclear powers, a small but significant number of nations will have the intellectual, physical, and financial resources to produce both nuclear weapons and the means of delivering them. In time, it is estimated, many other nations will have either this capacity or other ways of obtaining nuclear warheads, even as missiles can be commercially purchased today. I ask you to stop and think for a moment what it would mean to have nuclear weapons in so many hands, in the hands of countries large and small, stable and unstable, responsible and irresponsible, scattered throughout the world. There would be no rest for anyone then, no stability, no real security, and no chance of effective disarmament. There would only be the increased chance of accidental war, and an increased necessity for the great powers to involve themselves in what otherwise would be local conflicts. If only one thermonuclear bomb were to be dropped on any American, Russian, or any other city, whether it was launched by accident or design, by a madman or by an enemy, by a large nation or by a small, from any corner of the world, that one bomb could release more destructive power on the inhabitants of that one helpless city than all the bombs dropped in the Second World War.
John Fowles book The Collector
The Collector (1963)
Context: I don’t think the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament has much chance of actually affecting the government. It’s one of the first things you have to face up to. But we do it to keep our self-respect to show to ourselves, each one to himself or herself, that we care. And to let other people, all the lazy, sulky, hopeless ones like you, know that someone cares. We’re trying to shame you into thinking about it, about acting.
Martin Amis (1949) Welsh novelist
"The Palace of the End" (2003)
Context: It was explained that the North Korean matter was a diplomatic inconvenience, while Iraq's non-disarmament remained a "crisis". The reason was strategic: even without WMDs, North Korea could inflict a million casualties on its southern neighbour and raze Seoul. Iraq couldn't manage anything on this scale, so you could attack it. North Korea could, so you couldn't. The imponderables of the proliferation age were becoming ponderable. Once a nation has done the risky and nauseous work of acquisition, it becomes unattackable. A single untested nuclear weapon may be a liability. But five or six constitute a deterrent. From this it crucially follows that we are going to war with Iraq because it doesn't have weapons of mass destruction. Or not many. The surest way by far of finding out what Iraq has is to attack it. Then at last we will have Saddam's full cooperation in our weapons inspection, because everything we know about him suggests that he will use them all. The Pentagon must be more or less convinced that Saddam's WMDs are under a certain critical number. Otherwise it couldn't attack him.
John F. Kennedy (1917–1963) 35th president of the United States of America
1963, American University speech
Context: Some say that it is useless to speak of world peace or world law or world disarmament — and that it will be useless until the leaders of the Soviet Union adopt a more enlightened attitude. I hope they do. I believe we can help them do it. But I also believe that we must reexamine our own attitude — as individuals and as a Nation — for our attitude is as essential as theirs. And every graduate of this school, every thoughtful citizen who despairs of war and wishes to bring peace, should begin by looking inward — by examining his own attitude toward the possibilities of peace, toward the Soviet Union, toward the course of the cold war and toward freedom and peace here at home.
“The details of such disarmament programs are manifestly critical and complex.”
Dwight D. Eisenhower (1890–1969) American general and politician, 34th president of the United States (in office from 1953 to 1961)
1950s, The Chance for Peace (1953)
Context: The details of such disarmament programs are manifestly critical and complex. Neither the United States nor any other nation can properly claim to possess a perfect, immutable formula. But the formula matters less than the faith -- the good faith without which no formula can work justly and effectively. The fruit of success in all these tasks would present the world with the greatest task, and the greatest opportunity, of all. It is this: the dedication of the energies, the resources, and the imaginations of all peaceful nations to a new kind of war. This would be a declared total war, not upon any human enemy but upon the brute forces of poverty and need. The peace we seek, founded upon decent trust and cooperative effort among nations, can be fortified, not by weapons of war but by wheat and by cotton, by milk and by wool, by meat and timber and rice. These are words that translate into every language on earth. These are the needs that challenge this world in arms.
H. H. Asquith (1852–1928) Former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
Speech in Paisley (6 February 1920), quoted in Speeches by The Earl of Oxford and Asquith, K.G. (London: Hutchinson & Co., 1927), p. 266
Later life
H. H. Asquith (1852–1928) Former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
Speech in Paisley (28 January 1920), quoted in Speeches by The Earl of Oxford and Asquith, K.G. (London: Hutchinson & Co., 1927), p. 245
Later life
Anthony Eden (1897–1977) British Conservative politician, prime minister
Speech https://api.parliament.uk/historic-hansard/commons/1944/sep/29/war-and-international-situation#column_698 in the House of Commons (29 September 1944)
Daniel Ortega (1945) President of Nicaragua
Nothing Will Hold Back Our Struggle for Liberation (1979)
John F. Kennedy (1917–1963) 35th president of the United States of America
Source: 1961, Speech to Special Joint Session of Congress
Michael Foot (1913–2010) British politician
Source: Article in Young Oxford and War (1934), quoted in Mervyn Jones, Michael Foot (1994), p. 30
Gilbert Murray (1866–1957) Anglo-Australian scholar
1920s, The Ordeal of This Generation: The War, the League and the Future (1929)
Source: "The Felt Need. The Three Principles of the Covenant: Conference, Law, Sanctions", pp. 88-89