Defusing the Nuclear Threat
Free Public
Stanford Lecture Series

As part of our effort to create pockets of nuclear awareness in the Stanford area, we are offering the following series of lectures during the Spring 2010 quarter. While you are welcome just to come and listen, we hope you will consider joining our effort to create societal awareness of this critical issue by inviting friends to join you. If you have to talk to ten friends to get one to come, your efforts with the other nine are still important contributions since most people need to hear about an issue several times before they give it serious attention. All talks are free of charge and open to the public.

Except for April 20, all events will take place in Hewlett Teaching Center, room 201, located on the Stanford campus, just off Serra Mall, 1.5 blocks west of the Oval. Click HERE for a map including parking areas.

Prof. Martin Hellman, "Defusing the Nuclear Threat: An Audacious Plan"
April 13, 2010, 7:00-8:30 PM, Hewlett Teaching Center, Room 201
Martin Hellman is Professor Emeritus of Electrical Engineering at Stanford University. He was the first to suggest applying quantitative risk analysis to nuclear deterrence, and has shown that depending on nuclear weapons for our security is as risky as living in a town surrounded by thousands of nuclear power plants. This talk explains why the danger is much greater than society perceives. It then presents a novel approach for overcoming society's inaction, where the first step depends on small groups of individuals taking initiative. This seemingly audacious plan has won support from a number of prominent individuals, including former Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor.
A PDF flyer (377 KB) suitable for emailing to friends is available.

The Hon. George Shultz, The Hon. William Perry, Prof. Sidney Drell, Mr. Philip Taubman, "Nuclear Tipping Point"
April 20, 2010, 4:00-6:00 PM, Paul Brest Hall, Munger Residence, Building 4
George Shultz served as Secretary of State under President Ronald Reagan, and was a key figure in the historic negotiations that led to the end of the Cold War. William Perry, served as Secretary of Defense under President Bill Clinton. Sidney Drell is Professor and Deputy Director, Emeritus, at SLAC. Philip Taubman, is a consulting professor at Stanford's Center for International Security and Cooperation (CISAC), working on a book about the efforts of Sidney Drell, Henry Kissinger, Sam Nunn, Bill Perry and George Shultz to reduce nuclear dangers. He is a former reporter and editor at the New York Times, where he specialized in national security issues. This event will feature a screening of the new movie "Nuclear Tipping Point," that also includes Henry Kissinger, Sam Nunn and Gen. Colin Powell. The movie will be followed by a discussion.
Note: Stanford's Hoover Institution is the primary sponsor of this event. Our project is a co-sponsor.
A PDF flyer (2.2 MB) suitable for emailing to friends is available.
The full 55-minute movie is available free of charge as a DVD. For an 8-minute preview, see the YouTube video below:

Global Zero, Pre-release Screening of "Countdown to Zero"
April 27, 2010, 7:00-9:00 PM, Hewlett Teaching Center, Room 201
Produced by Academy Award winner Lawrence Bender, whose recent credits include "Inglourious Basterds" and "An Inconvenient Truth," this stunning documentary graphically makes the case for "zero" – worldwide nuclear disarmament. Literally be the first on your block to see this exciting new film that won't be generally released until this summer – with free admission an added bonus. Premiering at this year's Sundance Film Festival to critical acclaim, it was written and directed by award winner Lucy Walker (The Devil's Playground, Blind Sight). "Countdown" features international superstars Mikhail Gorbachev, Jimmy Carter, Tony Blair, Pervez Musharraf and Valerie Plame.
A PDF flyer (664 kB) suitable for emailing to friends is available. You can also watch the movie trailer.

Dr. Joseph Martz, "Nuclear Deterrence: Past, Present and Future"
May 4, 2010, 7:00-8:30 PM, Hewlett Teaching Center, Room 201
Why would one of the nation's foremost nuclear weapons designers also be committed to eliminating them? Could improving the design of our current weapons help create a path to "zero" – a world free of nuclear weapons? Dr. Joseph Martz will answer those questions as he reviews the history of both nuclear deterrence and U.S. nuclear weapons development. He is the inaugural William Perry CISAC Fellow at Stanford, on leave from Los Alamos, where he headed their RRW (Reliable Replacement Warhead) design team. His research this year is directed toward ways to realize the benefits of nuclear deterrence in a world of greatly reduced nuclear stockpiles, and potentially even at "zero."
A PDF flyer (385 kB) suitable for emailing to friends is available.
Dr. Martz has kindly made his slides available in a PDF file (6.3 MB).

Prof. Siegfried Hecker, "The Greatest Nuclear Risks"
May 11, 2010, 7:00-8:30 PM, Hewlett Teaching Center, Room 201
With the end of the Cold War, the danger of a full-scale nuclear war has been eclipsed by the specter of nuclear terrorism and the potential for a regional nuclear war. Come hear one of the world's leading experts on nuclear weapons present his views on the greatest risks we face, why Pakistan is at the top of the list, and what we must do to manage those risks. Prof. Siegfried Hecker is Co-Director of Stanford's Center for International Security and Cooperation (CISAC), professor (research) in the Department of Management Science and Engineering, and Director Emeritus of the Los Alamos National Laboratory. He has visited Russia forty-one times, North Korea six times, as well as China, India, and Kazakhstan as part of his efforts to defuse the danger posed by nuclear weapons.
A PDF flyer (411 kB) suitable for emailing to friends is available.

Paul Chappell, "Why Peace Is Possible and How We Can Achieve It"
May 18, 2010, 7:00-8:30 PM, Hewlett Teaching Center, Room 201
Like most Americans, Paul Chappell grew up thinking that peace was a naive dream. In this talk, he explains how he learned – at West Point and in the military, no less – that peace is possible, and how we can take steps toward achieving it. He also explains what waging peace means and how, in the nuclear age, it is required for survival. Chappell is a 2002 West Point graduate who served in the US Army for seven years, was deployed to Baghdad, and left active duty in November 2009 as a Captain. He currently serves as Peace Leadership Director for the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation and speaks throughout the nation at schools, veterans groups, churches, and other organizations. He is the author of Will War Ever End?: A Soldier's Vision of Peace for the 21st Century and the forthcoming The End of War: How Waging Peace Can Save Humanity, Our Planet, and Our Future.
A PDF flyer (356 kB) suitable for emailing to friends is available.

Dr. Tad Daley, "Apocalypse Never: How the Abolition of Nuclear Weapons May Actually Happen"
May 27, 2010, 7:00-8:30 PM, Hewlett Teaching Center, Room 201
The nuclear threat has many forms: nuclear terror, a nuclear accident, an international crisis escalating out of control. This enormous danger has led many world leaders, including President Obama and over two-thirds of living former Secretaries of Defense and State, to call for ridding the world of nuclear weapons. But is this an achievable goal or a utopian fantasy? This talk explains why the abolition of nuclear weapons is both essential and achievable, and lays out in detail what we need to do to make it a reality. Dr. Tad Daley is the Writing Fellow at the International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War (the 1985 Nobel Peace Laureate), and author of Apocalypse Never: Forging the Path to a Nuclear Weapon-Free World. His past experience includes working in the International Policy Department at RAND, where many Cold War era nuclear theories were forged, and serving as a speechwriter and policy advisor to several members of Congress. Copies of "Apocalypse Never" will be available for purchase at the talk.
A PDF flyer (410 kB) suitable for emailing to friends is available.

With the exception of the April 20 event, all events in this series are sponsored by Stanford University's Department of Electrical Engineering, with co-sponsorship by the League of Women Voters of Palo Alto, Los Altos Voices for Peace, Multifaith Voices for Peace and Justice, the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation's Silicon Valley Chapter, and the World Affairs Council of Northern California. The April 20 event is sponsored by the Hoover Institution and the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies, with the Electrical Engineering Department being a cosponsor.