Robert Pickus (October 31, 1923 – January 22, 2016) was a prominent figure in

Quaker Quakers are people who belong to the Religious Society of Friends, a historically Protestant Christian set of denominations. Members refer to each other as Friends after in the Bible, and originally, others referred to them as Quakers ...

pacifist Pacifism is the opposition to war or violence. The word ''pacifism'' was coined by the French peace campaigner Émile Arnaud and adopted by other peace activists at the tenth Universal Peace Congress in Glasgow in 1901. A related term is ''a ...

, and

peace Peace is a state of harmony in the absence of hostility and violence, and everything that discusses achieving human welfare through justice and peaceful conditions. In a societal sense, peace is commonly used to mean a lack of conflict (suc ...

movements. Born in

Sioux City, Iowa Sioux City () is a city in Woodbury County, Iowa, Woodbury and Plymouth County, Iowa, Plymouth counties in the U.S. state of Iowa. The population was 85,797 in the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, making it the List of cities in Iowa, fo ...

, he attended the University of Chicago, where he was a research assistant to

Mortimer Adler Mortimer is an English surname. Norman origins The surname Mortimer has a Norman origin, deriving from the village of Mortemer, Seine-Maritime, Normandy. A Norman castle existed at Mortemer from an early point; one 11th century figure associ ...

for the ''

Great Books of the Western World ''Great Books of the Western World'' is a series of books originally published in the United States in 1952, by Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., to present the great books in 54 volumes. The original editors had three criteria for including a b ...

'' program. In 1942, he enlisted in the army, and worked with the

Office of Strategic Services The Office of Strategic Services (OSS) was the first intelligence agency of the United States, formed during World War II. The OSS was formed as an agency of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) to coordinate espionage activities behind enemy lines ...

(OSS) in England and Sweden. He was co-author of '' Speak Truth to Power'' (American Friends Service Committee, 1955); founder of Turn Toward Peace (1961), and World Without War Council (1969); and co-author with Robert Woito of ''To End War: an Introduction to the Ideas, Books, Organizations, and Work That Can Help'' (1970). In the mid-1960s Pickus caused controversy by attacking "radical pacifists and leftists" in the

anti-Vietnam war movement Opposition to United States involvement in the Vietnam War began in 1965 with demonstrations against the escalating role of the United States in the war. Over the next several years, these demonstrations grew into a social movement which was ...

, whom he accused of being "naively one-sided in their criticism of American foreign policy". In a 2001 interview, Pickus argued that in "the current political climate, war is essential for justice to prevail". He said that the World Without War Council supported actions such as the bombing of

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radio systems, provided civilians were given advance warning. Pickus also stated he regarded the United States as a benevolent force in world affairs. Pickus died on January 22, 2016, in St. Helena, California.

References

External links

Stephen G. Cary, Robert Pickus, et al, "Speak Truth to Power: A Quaker Search for an Alternative to Violence"

"Full Turn Toward Peace: Interview with Robert Pickus"

* [http://www.genekeyes.com/Fuller-Pickus.html Gene Keyes, "Bucky and Pick: Two Grand Designers of a World Without War: An Essay-Review of Robert Pickus, ''To End War'' and R. Buckminster Fuller, ''Utopia or Oblivion''"]
Wendy Chmielewski, "Speak Truth to Power: Religion, Race, and Sexuality, and Politics During the Cold War"
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pickus, Robert 1923 births 2016 deaths People from Sioux City, Iowa American anti-war activists American Quakers 20th-century Quakers 21st-century Quakers Writers from Iowa University of Chicago alumni