SANE (National Committee for a Sane Nuclear Policy)
The National Committee for a Sane Nuclear Policy, commonly known as SANE, is an advocacy organization focused on promoting nuclear disarmament and opposing nuclear weapons proliferation. Founded in 1957 by writer Norman Cousins and leaders from various peace organizations, SANE emerged in response to public fears surrounding the dangers of nuclear tests and the broader implications of nuclear warfare. The organization gained momentum during the late 1950s and early 1960s, advocating against nuclear testing and playing a role in the ratification of the partial Nuclear Test Ban Treaty in 1963.
However, internal conflicts, including disagreements over the Vietnam War and accusations of communist infiltration, undermined its influence and membership base. Despite these challenges, SANE adapted its focus back to nuclear disarmament in the late 1960s and continued to advocate against the arms race in subsequent decades. In 1987, SANE merged with another organization, Freeze, which marked a significant milestone in U.S. peace activism, ultimately evolving into Peace Action in 1992. The organization has played a notable role in the discourse surrounding nuclear policy in the United States, reflecting a commitment to a more peaceful global stance on nuclear weapons.
SANE (National Committee for a Sane Nuclear Policy)
An activist organization that sought a comprehensive nuclear test ban treaty, global disarmament, and a shift in the priorities of nations from military to human needs.
Origins and History
In the 1950’s, writer Norman Cousins joined with leaders of influential peace organizations to form a committee (which became known as the Committee for a Sane Nuclear Policy, or SANE) to oppose what the group termed the “insanity” of nuclear weapons. The organization was publicly announced on November 15, 1957. Because of widespread concern about carcinogenic radioactivity from nuclear tests, SANE soon gained many enthusiastic members. This initial success was compromised by Cousins’s confused response to Senator Thomas J. Dodd’s charge that communists had infiltrated SANE. When President John F. Kennedy defused public anxiety about fallout with the partial Nuclear Test Ban Treaty of 1963, it accelerated the decline in the organization’s membership. In seeking another issue to increase membership and funding, SANE chose the Vietnam War, which proved destructively divisive. Disagreements within SANE led to the resignations of such key officials as Cousins. To resolve the organization’s problems, its new leaders enlisted the aid of public figures such as pediatrician and author Benjamin Spock, who had become spokesman for the organization in 1962. In 1969, the organization’s name was changed to National Committee for a Sane Nuclear Policy (SANE). With the new name came a new focus: a campaign against U.S. and Soviet construction of antiballistic missile (ABM) systems.
Activities
In the early 1960’s, the Soviet Union resumed testing of nuclear weapons. SANE condemned this action, called for worldwide protests, and tried in vain to prevent the United States from following the Soviet example. After the peaceful resolution of the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962, Cousins acted as unofficial liaison between the United States and the Soviet Union to break impasses in the negotiations for a test ban treaty. After the partial Nuclear Test Ban Treaty was signed in 1963, SANE helped get it ratified in the U.S. Senate. In the mid-1960’s, SANE’s programs centered on ending the Vietnam War, but this divided its membership, and in 1969, SANE returned to its traditional antinuclear-weapons focus.
Impact
The years of greatest influence for SANE were the late 1950’s and early 1960’s when its arguments about the dangers of nuclear tests energized the public. Increased membership and numerous local committees meant increased financial stability, which heightened SANE’s impact. The Dodd Committee hearings regarding communist infiltration, the loss of prominent members, and the foray into Vietnam War protests attenuated SANE’s influence, and even though the group tried to recoup its losses by returning to its traditional antinuclear activities, its ability to affect U.S. defense policies remained enfeebled.
Subsequent Events
In the 1970’s, SANE opposed mobile basing of MX missiles, but a financial crisis led to new leaders, who augmented the membership of the organization (renamed A Citizens’ Organization for a Sane World, or SANE, in 1983) to a high of one hundred thousand in 1984. With the expansion of the nuclear arms race during the administration of President Ronald R. Reagan, SANE, along with Freeze and other peace organizations, proposed a halt to the production, testing, and deployment of new nuclear weapons. In 1987, SANE merged with Freeze, making it the largest peace organization in U.S. history, and in 1992, SANE/FREEZE: Campaign for Global Security adopted the name Peace Action.
Additional Information
In 1986, Milton S. Katz published Ban the Bomb: A History of SANE, The Committee for a Sane Nuclear Policy, 1957-1985; the book provides a sympathetic analysis of SANE from its founding to its work with Freeze.