Another disappointing TV occasion was a BBC discussion of nuclear matters by Mrs Roosevelt, Lord Boothby, Mr Gaitskell, and myself. I was horrified to hear Mrs Roosevelt enunciate the belief that it would be better, and that she would prefer, to have the human race destroyed than to have it succumb to Communism.
Source: The Autobiography of Bertrand Russell, v.3 chap. 3
More info.: https://russell-j.com/beginner/AB33-110.HTM
* a brief comment:
Individuals are free to think whatever they like. Likewise, even if ordinary citizens without any political power make extreme remarks in public, they are usually ignored and rarely have any real impact.
However, the situation is quite different when the person in question has even a small degree of public influence. A good example is the remark made around 1960 on a BBC debate program by Mrs. Roosevelt -- the widow of former U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt, who at the time wielded considerable influence in the United Nations and on human rights issues. She explicitly declared (as quoted in Today's Russell Words), "It would be better for humanity to perish than to succumb to Communism."
Some people, in their intense hatred of communism, may even welcome such extreme statements. But think carefully: even those who dislike communism would hardly wish for the destruction of the entire human race. There is no reason why such people should be forced to become victims of the beliefs held by those in power.
To go one step further, if the peoples of the United States and the Soviet Union were to suffer as a result of the misguided policies of the leaders they themselves had chosen, one might call it "their own fault." But no one -- and no nation -- has the right to drag the peoples of other countries down with them. If there were indeed Americans at that time who took such ideas for granted, perhaps it was because of a religious conviction that promised salvation after death. In any case, fanaticism in any religion is a danger to humanity.
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