Secretary's Report

As your Secretary, I shall concentrate in my report on organizational aspects of Science for Peace. Since last June the Science for Peace office in University College has been open regularly on weekdays. Symbolically this change is important because there is now an identifiable place that is the hub of our activities, while from the practical viewpoint we now have a very valuable message centre for communications of all kinds. We are also working to improve and automate some of our operations. Part of a microcomputer system for word processing and data base management has already been purchased, and I expect the full system to be in place before the forthcoming Annual General Meeting.

Besides the major conferences referred to in the President’s report, Science for Peace also held a much more modest meeting in Toronto on May 8, 1986, at which a group of experts on atmospheric modelling, atmospheric chemistry, combustion science, and international politics discussed “Nuclear Winter and the Nuclear Deterrent”.

Currently the main burden of our activities is borne by a very small number of people. We must draw more of our members into this work. This is important because it will greatly diminish the chance of a breakdown in our operations through the unexpected loss of a key person. And it will be easier to bring in more volunteers if we can make it clear that the responsibilities will not be too burdensome.

— John Dove