Robert Pickus

Robert Pickus (October 31, 1923 – January 22, 2016) was a prominent figure in Quaker, pacifist, and peace movements.[1][2] Born in Sioux City, Iowa, he attended the University of Chicago, where he was a research assistant to Mortimer Adler for the Great Books of the Western World program.[3] In 1942, he enlisted in the army, and worked with the Office of Strategic Services (OSS) in England and Sweden.[3][4]

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, whom he accused of being "naively one-sided in their criticism of American foreign policy".[5][4]

In a 2001 interview, Pickus argued that in "the current political climate, war is essential for justice to prevail".[6] He said that the World Without War Council supported actions such as the bombing of Taliban radio systems, provided civilians were given advance warning.[6] Pickus also stated he regarded the United States as a benevolent force in world affairs.[6]

Pickus died on January 22, 2016, in St. Helena, California.

References
  1. Foreign Area Fellowship Program (1952). Directory, Foreign Area Fellows. The Program. p. 158.
  2. "Robert Pickus (1923 - 2016)". The New York Times. 25 January 2016. Retrieved 2 February 2016 – via Legacy.com.
  3. "Inventory of the World Without War Council records". Online Archive of California (Finding aid). 2017. Retrieved 11 May 2021.
  4. Weigel, George (25 January 2016). "Robert Pickus: An American Original". National Review. Retrieved 11 May 2021.
  5. DeBenedetti, Charles; Chatfield, Charles (1990). An American Ordeal: The Antiwar Movement of the Vietnam Era. Syracuse University Press. pp. 64, 95. ISBN 0-8156-0245-6.
  6. Mclaughlin, Erin (3 October 2001). "Group Advocating Peace Finds Solutions in Violence". The Daily Californian. Retrieved 24 November 2013.
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