Atoms for Peace and the American Public

Abilene, Kan. - The public is invited to join the October Lunch & Learn program on Thursday, October 24, at 12 p.m. noon central time at the Eisenhower Presidential Library. The hybrid program will be held in the Library building indoor courtyard and online via YouTube Livestream. Guests are encouraged to arrive by 11:45 a.m. A light box-lunch will be provided on a first come, first served basis.

Guest Speaker, Dr. Sarah Robey, will join us virtually to discuss Ike's famous "Atoms for Peace" speech. In December 1953, President Eisenhower spoke before the United Nations to unveil his vision for a peaceful nuclear future. This speech, known as the Atoms for Peace speech, pledged that the United States would commit its “entire heart and mind to finding the way by which the miraculous inventiveness of man shall not be dedicated to his death, but consecrated to his life.” Atoms for Peace led to a series of changes in nuclear policy and diplomacy, but what did it all mean to everyday Americans? This program will examine the historical context for Atoms for Peace and explore its impact on American life.

Dr. Sarah Robey is the Associate Professor of History and Director of the University Honors Program at Idaho State University. She is the author of Atomic Americans: Citizens in a Nuclear State (Cornell University Press, 2022). Robey has published extensively about the history of nuclear science and technology, history of energy and American culture during the Cold War. She holds a Ph.D. from Temple University (2017) and has held past fellowships at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History and the Miller Center for Public Affairs at the University of Virginia.

The 2024 Waging Peace program series is made possible courtesy of the Eisenhower Foundation with generous support from the Jeffcoat Memorial Foundation.