Copy printed on green paper.
“Down with the theology of the bomb!” In February 1958, the entire Surrealist group rose up against this “new and colossal imposture,” the atomic bomb, calling — as the title of this tract suggests — to “Unmask the Physicists” and “Empty the Laboratories.” The text challenges the emerging culture of nuclear deterrence which, during this period of Cold War, was gaining ground in France and would soon give rise to what became known as nuclear proliferation. The 25 signatories attack the cultural dimension of this ideology, calling for resistance against, among other things, newsreels glorifying the work of military researchers.
José Pierre, Tracts surréalistes et Déclarations collectives (1922–1969), Paris, Le Terrain vague, II, p. 172; Katia Sowels, Le Surréalisme d’abord et toujours, Transformer le monde, Paris, Centre Pompidou, 2024, reproduced p. 83.