Trying to Harness Atomic Energy,1946–1951: Albert Einstein's Publicity Campaign for World Government

Abstract

Albert Einstein led a fund-raising and publicity campaign conducted by the Emergency Committee of Atomic Scientists (ECAS) immediately following World War II. Einstein and other prominent ECAS scientists used direct mail, mass media, conferences and radio broadcasts to argue that a world government distinct from the United Nations represented the only solution to potential misuse of atomic energy. This study looks at the print aspect of the ECAS activities, and concludes that Einstein's unwillingness to compromise on the issue of UN versus a separate world government undermined favorable public sentiment for an international approach to atomic energy control.