BR says he did not receive Yavden-Trebull's letter of 25 July [and there is no such letter in BRACERS]. "I am very sorry you are so ill and I hope your health will soon improve."

"I am sorry it is quite impossible for me to write a book especially addressed to India as I have never been in your country and should feel it an impertinence to offer any advice except such as I should offer to all human beings."

"I am glad that our common cause is being so actively propagated in Canada."

"Thank you for sending me your interesting poem Whitsuntide Picnic. You have given a twist to theology that makes it much more acceptable and I like your God much better than the usual one."

"I enclose herewith an account of my earnings during the past financial year" and a "revised list of professional expenses" (both not present).

"I have been contemplating a public statement to the effect that the propaganda in favour of unilateralism has reached, or is about to reach, a point where further effectiveness is not likely to be secured except by means of direct action on a very considerable scale. I had intended to make a pronouncement in this sense in Trafalgar Square on Sept 24, but it has been represented to me that you might consider such a pronouncement from me prejudicial to the vote of Scarborough where I ardently hope that you will secure an unequivocal victory."

"Kindly transfer two hundred pounds from my current account in the Portmadoc Branch of Barclay's Bank."

"I have instructed Child & Co. to transfer £200 from my balance with them to my balance with you." BR changes some weekly wage payments.

"We are deeply distressed to learn of your husband's serious illness, and you will know that you and he have our most sincere sympathy."

Edith thanks Topchiev for a charming brooch. "I am very sorry that I was not able to be at home to see you when you came to tea with my husband last week."

Re changes in subjects by Sarah and Lucy.

"I shall be happy to be interviewed by you while you are in England."

"M. Howard, L. Bainbridge, Lockspeiser, Sanderson, Cockcroft, Peierls, Buchan, Buzzard, Infeld > Rotblat".

"I should like to be able to accept your invitation definitely, but owing to various uncertainties, I must ask you to leave my participation doubtful until I know better what I shall have to do at that time."

BR declines an invitation to the Congress in Copenhagen as he has previous engagements.

"It is quite impossible to say in the abstract whether a man should devote himself to this or that kind of desirable activity since the answer must depend upon his abilities. It would not have been desirable for Beethoven to attempt the work of Kant or for Kant to attempt the work of Beethoven."

"I shall be happy to see you and Sri Desai on the 23rd of this month at 43 Hasker St. S.W.3."

"The enclosed <it was "Man's Peril"> will show you that I am still on the war-path, or rather the peace-path."

"I am afraid there is only too much reason for your pessimistic feeling, but I do not think that it would be desirable for me to approach Nehru again. I think he would feel that I was trying to badger him...."

"As far as I am concerned I am entirely willing that you should publish my article 'On Denoting' but as it has been published in a book by Allen & Unwin (40 Museum St, London WC1) I imagine that their permission is necessary."

Re the upcoming unilateralism vote by the Labour Party at Scarborough: "It is clear that this vote will be of enormous importance in our campaign and I should not wish to do anything whatever that might tend to prevent your achieving a good majority."

"I think it must be understood and stated that nobody who joins our Committee undertakes personally to do anything illegal—unless the Committee itself should be judged to be such."

"I do not think that those who join our proposed Committee undertake to practice civil disobedience themselves."

"It is a pleasure to be once again united in the same kind of work as 45 years ago."

"We have not yet worked out what sort of civil disobedience we should practice and so I cannot give you a proper answer to your query." BR refers him to Michael Scott.

BR replies to John Strachey in the Observer.

"I am giving your letter to those who are organizing work for our campaign who, I am sure, will be very glad to accept your offer to work in our cause."

"I was very glad of the opportunity to take part in the 'Prospects of Mankind' television."

"Kindly place to my account the Sterling proceeds of enclosed cheque for $150."

"Kindly send me a Cambridge pocket diary for 1960-61 with pencil."

"I find your suggestion attractive and in principle I am quite willing to do it." BR asks about the financial aspects.

Re Lord Simon of Wythenshawe's death: "We shall miss him very much as a kind and understanding and generous friend, and feel that his loss to the public, especially in these most urgent matters concerning nuclear weapons, is far greater than most people know." In BR's hand: "We send you our very deepest sympathy, and we hope that, if you are ever in N. Wales, or in London when we are, we may see you."

"I was sorry that in your obituary of Lord Simon of Wythenshawe there was no mention of his work against nuclear warfare, an omission which was hardly adequately rectified by a brief mention in a leading article."

"I entirely agree with what you say in it and I have sent a letter to the Guardian of which I enclose a copy herewith."

"A letter from Mr C.W.K. Mundle in your issue of October 9 accuses me of lack of logic and therefore calls for a reply."

"I do not wish that this [Kenneth Harris's interview with BR, B&R C70.03] should be published during my lifetime as it is mainly concerned with arguments against Christianity and, in the controversies concerning nuclear war, many of those who feel as I do on this question are very convinced Christians and I do not desire anything which would make collaboration with them difficult."

BR asks for details of "the last meeting of the Executive Committee" of CND.

"I have been considering your suggestion of a profile of me for The New Yorker and, to my very great regret, I have come to the conclusion that I ought not to spare the time such a profile would take." It would be "a great deal of work" for BR.

"Yes > Foges".

"Signed contract > ITV".

"Not attending State Opening of Parl > Ravenscroft".

"No Tolstoy > Moscow Lit Gazette".

"... I cannot do anything about the Tagore Centenary, either in writing or speaking, although I well remember the occasions that you mention."

"I am very heartily in favour of the selection of Dr. Linus Pauling as Humanist of the Year for the ensuing year, and I very much hope that the Awards Committee will make this selection."

"I have no copy here of 'In the Company of Cranks'. It has certainly never been published in book form and I am pretty certain that the rights are mine."

"I note what you say about civil disobedience."

"I should have been glad to give you the permission to publish my lecture, but I had already given permission to my publishers, Messrs Allen & Unwin, to include it in a volume of collected essays."

"Sect'y—press of business makes it impossible > Tass".

"I sympathize with the object about which you write, but I hesitate to become a Foundation member since I know that I should have no time to take any part in your activities."

"My warmest thanks for your generous contribution of $1000 and for your very kind letter." "It is sad that there is a recrudescence of McCarthyism."

"When the statements attributed to Canon Collins were brought to his attention, he denied previously having ever made such statements, but, as nothing was involved except my honour and integrity, he did not think a public denial worth while." BR sends Astor "a statement of the facts as known to us".

"I entirely agree with you that it is very desirable to bring out a new edition of Nicod's work on induction which I think very important and which has not received adequate recognition."

"... I am quite sure that I never said that God does not exist because the earth goes round the sun."

"We agree completely with your letter and with the way in which you have spoken to [a granddaughter]." Re Susan Doniphan Lindsay.

"The Press, without one important exception, represents the advocacy of British Unilateralism as inspired by hysteria and sentimentalism, and refuses to print the rational arguments for such a policy." BR, who asks for space to state the anti-Polaris arguments, has "hardly the heart to pursue the squabble with Collins".

"Since you suggest that you would like to have something from me that has already been published, I enclose an article on Civil Defence which I did for the WDET broadcasting station of Wayne University, Detroit, but I do not know whether they used it."

The letter was drafted to serve as a template reply to multiple correspondents. It is found with a sheet dated 10 November 1960 but may be earlier or later. 

"Dear ...

Thank you for your letter. It was with profound regret that I resigned the Presidency of the CND. ... if Canon Collins remains the Chairman and the Executive retains its present hostile majority."

BR replies to Campbell's letter of 1960/10/16, record 59501. "What I am advocating is that we should adopt a position like that of India and, as neutrals, should suggest ways of lessening the acerbity of East-West tension."

BR wonders whether newly independent African countries will tolerate Christian missionaries.

BR expanded his first draft at record 126509, keeping the opening: "Your letter consists of vulgar abuse. The remark about crawling upon my belly to Moscow is an invention of my opponents, if it has ever been made at all." He added the need to crawl also to Washington.

"I gather from your letter that the situation at Coventry is hopeful from our point of view and I should be glad to give any help within my power."

BR and Edith cannot accept Dora's "kind invitation". "We wish the children to spend the whole of the Christmas holidays with us, especially as they have asked to do so and as they spent a large part of their summer holidays with their grandmother."

BR notes a mistake in their reprint of the three volumes of Principia Mathematica: "... on the paper cover, you say the book was published in 1912, and, on the inside, you say it was published in 1913. In fact, Volume I was published in 1910, Volume II in 1912 and Volume III in 1913."

A letter to the editor re the quotation from the Prime Minister: "No one can believe that we have suddenly become a neutralist, a defeatist country." BR disagrees that British neutralism is defeatist.

"I am sorry not to agree with your suggestion that I should write to Cousins in the sense of your letter." Cousins' telephone is "probably tapped".

BR answers questions that the correspondent asked in his letter of 3 November (which cannot be identified). Re the Committee of 100, Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament and the Direct Action Committee, and why the C100 was launched at this time.

[A TL(CAR) of this reply cannot be located.].

Dated from the TL(CAR) at record 59547. "I note that you are aware of the dictatorial methods of the small oligarchy which has hitherto controlled the policy of the C.N.D. and I should like to see this remedied by democratization at the earliest possible opportunity." "I do not favour violence".

Re The Albertan. "The letters defending orthodoxy that you sent me are so vague and so full of unfounded assumptions that it is quite impossible to make sense out of them."

"I am glad that such work [as Dr. Keenleyside's] is being done in Canada, and I have been impressed by the strength of sane opinion among Canadians.... I enclose a copy of a leaflet which is being used here of which, if you think fit, you make whatever use you choose." The world's "desperate situation" calls for direct action. BR encloses a leaflet for any possible use.

"I receive the Statesman regularly and am grateful for it. I do not know what sort of a contribution you have in mind and I doubt whether I have anything that you would consider quite suitable." BR encloses a leaflet.

"Russians believe that Dialectical Materialism is on their side, and I think this blinds them just as much as belief in God blinds Americans."

"I am not sure what statement you allude to in your letter. Would you be so good as to let me know its subject and title and I will then, if I can, send you a copy."

"... I cannot myself undertake such a volume as you have in mind as my time is wholly occupied in the endeavour to secure that there shall still be students, and other human beings, in the world a few years hence, which, as things now are, seems extremely doubtful."

"Repeat above letter to Norton—'readers' instead of 'students'." See record 126604.

"It follows that, if we are to combat nuclear peril, we must find some method which can be quickly effective and it will have to be a method not too repugnant to Governments, since they have the power of life and death in their hands."

To be sent to F.K. Ogden.

"... it would be misleading to suggest that such a translation [any new one] gave a more accurate rendering of Wittgenstein's thought at the time than that which was published." See record 54199 for a typed version.

"I sent you a telegram saying that I should prefer December 5th for the meeting at Coventry."

"It is good to know that in Helsinki the study of mathematical logic is pursued with such thoroughness and ardour."

BR thanks her for sending him the French translation of Why I Am Not a Christian. On "Philosophic Rationality for a Changing World" (B&R L33).

"I will do the article you suggest during the next few days, and I am glad of the opportunity that you offer me."

"I am sorry to be so persistent, but I think you have not noticed that there were two places (one of them not on the cover) where the date of publication was wrongly given, as you will see from my previous letter."

"The ideas contained in this letter are completely sympathetic to me and I am sure you would do well to develop them."

"I feel that no good scheme will be adopted except through the mediation of neutrals and this is my main reason for desiring British neutrality."

"I am very grateful to you for sending me your very interesting book Understanding India."

"> Dugdale—What lectures?"

"You are entirely at liberty to quote the letter from me to Wells which you write about."

"I entirely agree with the objective of the 'Committee for Leo Koch' which you sent me in your letter of October 26 and I am quite willing that my name should be included in support of it."

"Yours is one of the countries not committed to either the Eastern or the Western bloc, and I believe that it is to such countries that the world must look for a degree of sanity which, so far, has been lacking in the Powers that threaten the extinction of mankind."

"When your letter reached me, I had already done the article and it is possible that you may think it not sufficiently popular. If you feel this strongly, perhaps you will let me know and I will see what I can do."

"As regards a meeting with John, I repeat what I have been saying all along: I should be delighted to see him at some time when I am in London if he were to write to me and express a wish to see me." Re the agreement for the children.

"Zemenides > book translated into many languages and haven't had time to write special preface for each".

BR thanks him for sending the Tagore poems and wishes he could have seen him.

"... though I am honoured by your invitation to sit on the Preparatory Committee which is taking the initiative in convening the symposium, I feel that I must refuse it."

"Simple and human appeals to ordinary citizens" is a better approach.

"I am happy and proud to accept your invitation to become Honorary President of the CUCND" in Canada.

BR asks her questions regarding the length and content of his new preface.

"I advocate British unilateral disarmament because I believe that Britain as a neutral could do far more to bring about agreement between Russia and America than can be done while remaining in NATO." BR denies that his policy "passes the buck".

Re the philosophical problem of predetermination, or fate. "The problem you put is one which has troubled people since ancient times and, according to Milton, troubled the fallen angels when they first found themselves in Hell." "… belief in Fate makes the concept of purpose illusory".

"I like your appeal for a silent gathering on Hiroshima day, and I am sorry it was sabotaged." BR will be glad to have her novel.

"The translations which you sent me and which I return herewith seem to me admirable and I am happy that you are publishing them." BR encloses a photograph.

BR refers her to the National Committee for the Control of Radiation Hazards. "I regretfully resigned from the presidency of the CND because I thought the time had come for a campaign for civil disobedience and this led to a dispute with the Chairman which he conducted in a manner that made me feel that further cooperation with him was impossible."