Bob Alpern talks about his lifelong work against nuclear weapons

Description

John Friedrich (56) talks with his friend Bob Alpern (92) about his lifelong work against nuclear weapons and nuke tests, beginning with revulsion of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and reaction to a full page New York Times ad featuring a cockroach, and text that read, “sole survivor of World War III”. Bob sent in a $5 contribution and got involved with the anti-nuclear movement, starting with the Baltimore chapter of SANE. Bob moved from Baltimore to NYC in 1969 to become the national administrative director of SANE, where he worked with people like Dr. Spock. Bob talks about his work at SANE in opposition to the Vietnam War, including participation at large antiwar mobilizations in Washington, DC. Bob remembers antiwar cultural activist Jerry Rubin saying that if
everyone in Washington flushed their toilets at the same time, we could make the Potomac River overflow and wash the Pentagon away! Bob talks about the work of artist Edward Sorrell, who produced anti-nuclear weapon cartoons. Bob talks of helping to move the SANE HQ from NYC to DC.

Participants

• John Friedrich
  

Interview By

• John Friedrich