Stalin and the Bomb

by David Holloway

With characteristic vision, he was already concerned about the dangers such mastery might bring. In February 1922 he wrote that We are approaching a great revolution in the life of humankind, with which none of those it has experienced before can be compared. The time is not far off when man will get atomic energy in his hands, a source of power that will give him the possibility of building his life as he wishes. This could happen in the coming years, it could happen in a hundred years’ time. But it is clear that it must be. Will man be able to use this power, direct it towards good, and not towards self-destruction? Is he mature enough to be able to use the power that science must inevitably give him? Scientists ought not to close their eyes to the possible consequences of their scientific work, of scientific progress. They ought to feel responsible for all the consequences of their discoveries. They ought to connect their work with the best organization of all mankind. Thought and attention ought to be directed to these questions. And there is nothing in the world more powerful than free scientific thought.17