So who is Stanislav Petrov? He's the Soviet military officer who decided that the Soviet missile warning system was sounding a false alarm on 26 September 1983 and made the incredibly brave decision to do nothing about it. He knew what to do--he'd written the protocol himself. But based on nothing more than his gut feeling, he refused to start a retaliatory nuclear strike.

I'm alive today because of him and so is everyone else on earth.

He paid for it with his job and a nervous breakdown (one can only imagine what the "intense interrogation" he was subjected to afterwards consisted of).

He's now a retiree on a minuscule Russian pension. Each year the physicists attending the annual science forums of the IAEA pass the hat to support him. To me, it is a tragedy that such a man lives with financial insecurity. Donations can be made to:

World Citizens Foundation
with "Stanislav Petrov Fund" in the memo line

This is a 501(c)3 organisation and donations are tax deductible for US citizens.

mailed to:

Association of World Citizens
55 New Montgomery St Suite 224
San Francisco CA 94105

415/541-9610