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The US Red Scare of the 1950s muted opposition to nuclear weapons. But in 1957, fears of nuclear fallout reignited anti-nuclear opinion. Amid this revival, Pugwash linked anti-nuclear scientists with government policymakers, allowing Pugwash to bring scientific expertise to bear on the problem of nuclear tests. But although the Red Scare had ended, anti-communist politicians continued to use Red Scare tactics to smear scientists as communists and thwart arms control. Senator Thomas Dodd denounced Pugwash conferences as “communist conclaves” and US Pugwash scientists as dupes of the Soviets. Dodd’s report had little immediate effect; as the Kennedy administration entered office, Pugwash played an active role in bringing about the 1963 Limited Nuclear Test Ban Treaty. But Pugwash quickly fell from favor when Lyndon Johnson became president. Johnson notoriously feared domestic anti-communism and quickly cut off government connections with scientists; Pugwash subsequently struggled to influence US policy. Having marginalized US Pugwash, government officials even encouraged their British counterparts to do the same. Hostility from western governments weakened Pugwash when its existence was already tenuous. The US government’s effort to distance itself from Pugwash was never about actual communist influence, but reflected a desire to silence opponents of the arms race.
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