/
Article

Freedom vs security in the modern world

MAR 01, 1949
The patterns of secrecy are more difficult to shed than they are to assume and Professor Cushman analyzes them in relation to freedom and security which, he holds, need not become mutually exclusive. This is the text of a speech given before the American Physical Society at its winter meeting banquet in New York City, January 27, 1949, at the Hotel New Yorker.
Robert E. Cushman

You physicists have pretty well altered the face of the earth. By the atomic bomb and other achievements in nuclear physics, you have revolutionized the science of warfare, upset the equilibrium between nations, and recast many of mankind’s traditional and basic patterns of thought. The physicist of yesterday has plumped himself squarely into some of the toughest issues of statesmanship; the statesman and politician of yesterday is fumbling with the implications of scientific discoveries which he only vaguely understands. While this has been going on, and partly because it has been going on, our relations with the Soviet Union have steadily worsened, until Russia and the Western Democracies now sit glaring malignantly at each other, each wondering what cards the other actually holds, and how and when he proposes to play them.

This article is only available in PDF format

More about the authors

Robert E. Cushman, Cornell University.

Related content
/
Article
At the end of the turbulent 1960s, the postwar funding boom in US physics came to a crashing halt. The lessons learned then may be helpful to today’s physicists.
/
Article
Interviews with 22 successful early-career physical scientists and engineers reveal that networking has been one of the most critical ways to nurture their careers.
/
Article
Myriad solutions emerge in the stressful process of balancing professional ambition and personal happiness.
/
Article
An interview with a prominent member of the Marshallese diaspora delves into the ongoing impact of aboveground US nuclear weapons testing in the Pacific archipelago.
This Content Appeared In
pt-cover_1949_03.jpeg

Volume 2, Number 3

Get PT newsletters in your inbox

pt_newsletter_card_blue.png
PT The Week in Physics

A collection of PT's content from the previous week delivered every Monday.

pt_newsletter_card_darkblue.png
PT New Issue Alert

Be notified about the new issue with links to highlights and the full TOC.

pt_newsletter_card_pink.png
PT Webinars & White Papers

The latest webinars, white papers and other informational resources.

By signing up you agree to allow AIP to send you email newsletters. You further agree to our privacy policy and terms of service.