1 March 1962
Night Letter
Durham NC
President John F. Kennedy, White House:
Are you going to give an order that will cause you to go down in history as one of
the most immoral men of all time and one of the greatest enemies of the human race?
In a letter to the New York Times I state that nuclear tests duplicating the Soviet
1961 tests would seriously damage over 20 million unborn children, including those
caused to have gross physical or mental defect and also the stillbirths and embryonic,
neonatal and childhood deaths from the radioactive fission products and carbon 14.
Are you going to be guilty of this monstrous immorality, matching that of the Soviet
leaders, for the political purpose of increasing the still imposing lead of the United
States over the Soviet Union in nuclear weapons technology? (sgd) Linus Pauling
To Jerome Wiesner, Mr McGeorge Bundy, Dr. Glenn Seaborg,
I have sent the following telegram to President J. Kennedy. (quote it) Linus Pauling
