第3巻第2章 国の内外で
(しかし)当然のことながら、休暇中でさえ、まったく仕事をしなかったわけではなかった。私は、核の脅威そのもの及び関連するあらゆる問題について検討するための科学者会議の開催を呼びかけた科学者の声明(ラッセル=アインシュタイン声明)(の内容)をどうしたら実行(具現化)できるか、既にロートブラット教授及びパウエル教授(Cecil Frank Powell、1903年-1969年8月9日:イギリスの物理学者で1950年、ノーベル物理学賞受賞)とともに検討していた。ジョリオ・キュリー教授は、重病のためにわれわれの計画に積極的に関与することはできなかったが、遠くから私たちを激励してくれた。そうして、この頃には、私たちは、東西の優れた科学者たちのグループを一堂に会させることが可能であるということを、かなり確信していた。 声明書の準備を始めた初期の頃、私はインドの科学者やインド政府の支持を受けることができることを望んでいた。1955年2月のネール首相のロンドン訪問当初、私のその希望が高まった。ネール首相自身、非常に共鳴してくれているように思われた。私は、彼と昼食をともにしたり、多種多様の会合や歓迎会で語り合った。彼はきわめて友好的であった。しかし、ネール首相のロンドン訪問の終わり頃、インド政府の指導的科学者であるバーバ博士(Homi Jehangir Bhabha、1909年-1966年1月24日:インドの物理学者)と会った時は、バーバ博士の態度は冷淡だった。彼は、私が将来実現しようと考えていたような会議はもとよりのこと、いかなるその様な声明も心から疑問視していた。私がインドの公的な学界からは激励や支援を得られないだろうということが明白になった。しかし、ラッセル=アインシュタイン声明の発表が成功した以後は、ネール首相の態度はさらに一層友好的になった。そうして、インド政府の承認及び援助のもと、東西の科学者間の最初の会議を1957年1月ニューデリーで開催することが提案された。 |
v.3,chap.2: At home and abroad After this Paris conference at the end of July, we returned to Richmond for another congress. The Association of Parliamentarians for World Government had planned in June to hold a congress for both Eastern and Western scientists and others if they could manage it during the first days of August. They, as I did, believed that the time had come for communists and non-communists to work together. I had taken part in their deliberations and was to speak at the first meeting. Three Russians came from the Moscow Academy as well as other people, particularly scientists, from many parts of the world. The Russians were led by Academician Topchiev of whom I was later to see much and whom I grew to respect and greatly like. This was the first time since the war that any Russian Communists had attended a conference in the West and we were all exceedingly anxious to have the meetings go well. In the main they did so. But there was a short time when, at a committee meeting towards the end of the second day, the Russians could not come to agreement with their Western colleagues. The organisers telephoned me and asked if I could do anything to soothe matters. Fortunately agreement was managed. And at the final meeting I was able to read the resolutions of the conference as having been reached unanimously. Altogether, the conference augured well for cooperation. I could return to Wales for a few weeks of real holiday with the happy feeling that things were at last moving as one would wish. Naturally, all work did not stop even during the holiday. I had already been considering with Professors Rotblat and Powell how we could implement the scientists' manifesto which had called for a conference of scientists to consider all the matters concerning and allied to the nuclear dangers. Professor Joliot-C'urie, who was himself too ill to take active part in our plans, encouraged us at long distance. We were fairly sure by this time of being able to get together a good group of scientists of both East and West. In the early days of preparing the manifesto, I had hoped that I might be supported in it by the Indian scientists and Government. At the beginning of Nehru's visit to London in February, 1955, my hope of it soared. Nehru himself had seemed most sympathetic. I lunched with him and talked with him at various meetings and receptions. He had been exceedingly friendly. But when I met Dr. Bhabha, India's leading official scientist, towards the end of Nehru's visit, I received a cold douche. He had profound doubts about any such manifesto, let alone any such conference as I had in mind for the future. It became evident that I should receive no encouragement from Indian official scientific quarters. After the successfull promulgation of the manifesto, however, Nehru's more friendly attitude prevailed. With the approval and help of the Indian Government, it was proposed that the first conference between Western and Eastern scientists be held in New Delhi in January, 1957. |