Information about Conducting in Ukraine of Month’s Campaign of Joint Actions of the People against the Nuclear Weapon and for Universal Prohibiting of the Nuclear Tests for Ever and Ever

Information about Conducting the Month’s Campaign of Joint Actions of the People against the Nuclear Weapon and for the Universal Prohibition of Nuclear Tests in Perpetuity in Ukraine. 

The Ukrainian people have actively supported the appeal of the IV International Conference for conducting a month-lomg campaign against the nuclear threat. During the month-long campaign, the Ukrainian people, together with the entire Soviet people, have once again strongly supported prevention of the new war, the nuclear arms race, and prompt and comprehensive prohibition of all types of nuclear and thermonuclear weapons.

At the beginning of the month’s campaign, the prominent Ukrainian poet and academician P. G. Tychyna chaired the extended meeting of the Presidium of the Ukrainian Peace Protection Committee in Kiev. The presidium called all the laborers of the republic to extend work for peace and prompt nuclear weapons prohibition during the month’s campaign. During this meeting, the representatives of Ukrainian nongovernmental and youth organizations, as well as the representatives of the creative unions, supported the IV Tokyo Conference resolution on peace keeping and nuclear war prevention.

After this meeting of the Ukrainian Peace Protection Committee, the meetings of laborers, non-manual workers, students, scientists, nongovernmental and labor union organizations took place in the entire republic.

On 22 October, the meeting of the Kiev trade union committee took place under the slogan “To Prevent the Offensive Intentions of Atom Mongers”. In their speeches, participants at this meeting displayed their solidarity with the active peace fight of the laborers from the foreign countries.

"The peace forces unite many people," said the boilermakers' foreman at “Bolshevik” facility G. L. Grzhybovsky in his speech. "Hundreds of millions of people will be able to contain imperialistic maniacs and secure peaceful life in the world."

During the meeting, a machinist at the Andreev depot A. M. Bagora, a laborer at the “Ukrkabel” facility N. O. Troshchiy, PhD candidate in medical sciences P. M. Pronselev, and others talked about the determination of Ukrainian people to strengthen peace.

The resolution that was accepted by the meeting’s participants states the following:

“On behalf of Kiev's laborers we join with the demand of all freedom-loving nations to stop promptly nuclear and thermonuclear weapon tests in perpetuity. We, the Soviet people, as well as the laborers of the entire world, do not need war. We are building our better future– the communist society. Our mothers bring up children for the native land’s pleasure and glory. We will not allow our children, brothers, and sisters to face death in the new war.

The laborers of Kiev always fight for peace and people’s happiness. We will actively strengthen the power of the Soviet Union, which is the bulwark of the expectations and dreams of all the laborers from the entire world!”

The large meeting of the Kiev public representatives took place on 23 October. This meeting was devoted to working for the prohibition of nuclear and thermonuclear weapons tests. The meeting was organized by the Ukrainian Republican Peace Protection Committee, the Political and Scientific Knowledge Spread Community, the Ukrainian Community for Cultural Relations with the Foreign Countries, and the Academy of Sciences of Ukrainian Soviet Socialistic Republic. 

The facility laborers and specialists, scientists, artists, youth representatives filled out the pillared republican philharmonic hall. Opening the meeting the chairman of the board of The Political and Scientific Knowledge Spread Community professor Kukharenko L. I. said the following:

"We must not allow such a great achievement as the discovery of atomic energy to be used by the imperialists for mass extermination of people and for the destruction of material assets and cultural values. The Soviet government does everything it can in order to prevent forever the danger of exterminatory war. However, these unwavering efforts to radically solve this problem face with the stubborn resistance of the establishment of those countries which try to make the nuclear bomb an instrument of their destructive “policy of force”, their perilous adventures which are aimed against peace-loving people."

"We," professor Kukharenko continued, "vigorously condemn the imperialistic policy of atomic blackmail and diversion. We call the US government to undertake concrete steps to stop the arms race and prohibit the nuclear weapons."

The steelman of the precasting factory no. 4 N. I. Isakov stated:

"We are builders and we should build new houses and hospitals, theaters, and nurseries. We wish our children a better future. And we will not allow destruction of the better future. On behalf of several thousand strong staff of builders of the capital of Ukraine I call the laborers from every country: we will achieve the prohibition of the nuclear weapons if we unite our efforts in the struggle against the imperialistic atomists! Nuclear energy should be used only for civilian purposes.

In his speech during the meeting V. N. Gridnev, an associate of the Academy of Sciences of the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic and a participant at the International Conference on the Peaceful Uses of Atomic Energy in Geneva, emphasized that the continuation of the tests of the nuclear and thermonuclear bombs is very dangerous for human beings because the nuclear fallout caused by these tests contaminates the air and water. In her speech, the secretary of the republican trade-union committee L. K. Shendrik spoke about the activities of Ukrainian labor unions in the fight against the nuclear threat. The polytechnic institute student I.Osipenko and the writer A.Pisukha also made speeches during this meeting.

The participants of the meeting assessed very positively the speech of the social leader of the Indian defenders of peace E.V.Arianakama, who has visited the USSR on invitation of the Soviet Peace Protection Committee.

The participants of the meeting approved the resolution which states in particular the following:

“At that anxious time, we, the representatives of the laborers of ancient Kiev join the peace lovers and demand the prohibition of nuclear weapons and the reaching of an agreement between the states on a prompt and comprehensive nuclear test ban."

"We demand from the United Nations Organizations," the resolution states further, "to serve the cause of peace and strongly support the prohibition of the nuclear and thermonuclear weapons using its high prestige.

We are strongly convinced that the mutual actions of the people from all countries will disrupt the disastrous plans of the imperialistic atomists who try to prepare for nuclear war. Such mutual efforts will force the imperialistic atomists to take into account the wishes of hundreds of millions ordinary people. We are convinced that the people will win the great struggle for peace.“

On the same day, on 23 October the resolution against nuclear weapons and for prompt and unquestioning cessation of tests of all nuclear and thermonuclear bombs was accepted during the closing meeting of the Plenum of the Ukrainian Composers Union. Prominent representatives of the musical culture of the republic participated in this meeting.

In Odessa, meetings took place at a cable factory, an automatic drilling machines facility, an October revolution agricultural machinery plant, and at facilities and construction sites in Stalino, Kharkov, and Dnepropetrovsk as well as in villages of the republic. The staffs of the numerous facilities and labor unions called their foreign friends to unite their efforts in work for a global peace and struggle against the nuclear threat.  In the letter addressed to Marius Colombini, Secretary General of the trade union in the Bush-dyu-Ron department, K.Zinko, the head of presidium of Odessa regional trade council, wrote on behalf of laborers of Odessa region:

“Currently the month-long campaign of joint actions for stopping nuclear tests and a comprehensive prohibition of nuclear weapons is taking place in our country. During numerous meeting, laborers and non-manual workers call to fight vigorously against the nuclear war danger and for peace and friendship between the people of all continents…

For our part we as the friends of peace will make everything to achieve the wished goal for all the peace lovers.

The consolidation of the working class of all countries will considerably benefit the cause of peace and friendship between nations. This consolidation is highly important for the final liberation of humanity from the threat of nuclear war.

We call the labor unions of the Bush-dyu-Ron department to fraternal solidarity and active support for the stopping of nuclear explosions and comprehensive prohibition of the weapons of mass destruction.

We also ask you to propose to the French government that it proposes the prompt cessation of nuclear and thermonuclear weapons.

We are convinced that the joint position of the French and Soviet laborers regarding the prohibition of nuclear weapons will considerably benefit the common cause of peace in the whole world”.

The presidium of the Regional Trade Union Committee of the Ukrainian Coalmen sent a letter to the President of the National Coalmen Union of Scotland region in Great Britain, Eib Moffat. In this letter, he wrote on behalf of the miners of Lugansk region:

“The miners of Lugansk region, as well as all Soviet people, are very concerned by the continuation of nuclear tests and the nuclear arms race…

At the several-thousand-strong meetings during the month-long campaign of joint actions, the miners of Lugansk region protest again against the nuclear arms race and demand stopping the nuclear tests and prohibition use of nuclear weapons for ever and ever.

Dear miners of freedom-loving Scotland! We call you to protest together with all people of good will against nuclear tests and the use of nuclear weapons and to demand your government to stop nuclear tests and to undertake measures for the settlement of a very important issue for the whole world – the prohibition of the nuclear weapons.”

Other Ukrainian organizations have also addressed foreign organizations with letters and messages.

On 14 November, a meeting of scientists took place in Kiev. This meeting was devoted to the results of the Third International Conference of Atomic Scientists which took place in September this year in Austria. Prominent scientists from all branches of knowledge gathered in the large conference hall of the Academy of Sciences of Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic.

The head of the Ukrainian Republican Peace Protection Committee and the vice president of the Academy of Sciences of Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic N.P.Semenenko opened this meeting. In his speech, he noted the large scale of the movement of people from all countries demanding to immediately stop nuclear and thermonuclear weapons tests everywhere and in perpetuity.

A participant at the Third International Conference of the Atomic Scientists Doctor of medical sciences N.F.Lipman reported on results of this conference that relate to the issue of risks of the further nuclear arms race and continued nuclear explosions, as well as to responsibility of the scientists. The Ukrainian scientists who made a report during the meeting (vice rector of the Kiev University Zhmutsky, mathematician academician Shtokalo, physicist Pasechnik, the corresponding member of the Academy of Sciences of Ukrainian Soviet Socialistic Republic Makarchenko who is a medical professional and others) stated that the scientists of Soviet Ukraine as well as the scientists of the entire world are deeply concerned by the growing vertical nuclear proliferation, which creates a real danger of a great nuclear war that could destroy civilization. Therefore, the efforts of the people should be aimed at prevention of all wars including local ones, stopping the nuclear arms race and especially stopping nuclear tests and the prohibition of all types of nuclear and thermonuclear bombs which contaminate the air and water by disastrous nuclear fallout.

A resolution which contained a demand to immediately stop nuclear and thermonuclear tests everywhere was accepted during the meeting of the scientists.

The month-long campaign of joint actions against nuclear war threat took place in conditions of the greater activity of all social groups. During the month-long campaign, the Ukrainian people demonstrated once again its inflexible will for peace and stated vigorously that it would spare no efforts in the great struggle for prevention of war.

Responsible Secretary of Ukrainian

Republican Peace Protection Committee      [Signature]    M.Gershuni

14 November 1958