Recording Spotlight

Nobel Voices for Disarmament

Listen to the full album for free and download the lesson plan

Smithsonian Folkways recently released Nobel Voices for Disarmament: 1901–2001 (SFW47005), a stirring collection of new and archival spoken-word recordings by the most prominent advocates for peace during a century marred by war and bloodshed. With thirty-nine tracks organized into eight chapters, Nobel Voices offers testimonials from luminaries such as Kofi Annan, Bill Clinton, John F. Kennedy, Jane Addams, Jody Williams and Linus Pauling.

Introduced and narrated by Academy Award-winning actor, producer and United Nations Messenger of Peace Michael Douglas, Nobel Voices honors the achievements of the last century’s Nobel Peace Prize winners in disarmament and arms control and those who have been inspired by their work.

Listen to Nobel Voices for Free

For a limited time, online listeners can stream the entire album or individual tracks.

   

Download the Lesson Plan to Accompany Nobel Voices

Using the speeches on Nobel Voices as a starting point, Smithsonian Folkways is pleased to make a free lesson plan available focusing on listening and critical thinking skills. This plan is best suited for middle-school and high-school audiences.

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More Information about Nobel Voices

After two world wars, the United Nations was created with the purpose of preserving international peace through collective security. However, the post-World War II period also saw an escalating arms race between the superpowers that posed a catastrophic threat to human life and the environment. Many scientists, physicians, and public servants, acutely conscious of the dangers inherent in nuclear war, could not remain silent in the face of such a potential calamity.

Theirs are not the only voices included in this unique compilation. Other exceptional individuals who worked tirelessly to promote humanitarian causes—through the International Committee of the Red Cross, the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom, the International Campaign to Ban Landmines and the United Nations itself—are featured as well.

Their stories exemplify the legacy of Swedish chemist, engineer and inventor of dynamite, Alfred Bernhard Nobel, for whom the award recognizing efforts in international peace was named in 1901. The Nobel Peace Prize remains the most prestigious distinction given to men and women advocating peace and justice.

Produced in collaboration with the United Nations Office of Disarmament Affairs and the Smithsonian’s Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation, Nobel Voices is an invaluable historical resource, preserving the most significant speeches and voices in the fight for disarmament in the 20th century. The album is also an empowering educational tool for promoting peace through awareness and giving listeners the opportunity to engage in the process of creating a more humane future throughout the world.

This recording was made possible by the generous support of the United Nations Office of Disarmament Affairs (UNODA), the Principality of Andorra, and the Smithsonian’s Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation. Produced in collaboration with the United Nations by Peabody Award-winner David Tarnow; text introduction by Michael Cassandra, UNODA.

Individual Streaming Tracks

1.	Michael Douglas, A United Nations Messenger of Peace	(2:18)
2.	Gunnar Jahn, Norwegian Nobel Committee Chair	(0:35)
3.	Philip Noel-Baker, author and peace activist	(3:29)
4.	Joseph Rotblat, nuclear physicist	(4:56)
5.	Joseph Rotblat, nuclear physicist	(4:46)
6.	Michael Douglas reads from the Russell-Einstein Manifesto	(2:07)
7.	Joseph Rotblat	(2:38)
8.	Michael Douglas reads from the Red Cross Mission Statement	(0:33)
9.	Peter Herby, coordinator of the Mines Arms Unit	(1:32)
10.	Peter Herby, coordinator of the Mines Arms Unit	(1:09)
11.	Michael Douglas reads from the 1925 Geneva Protocol	(1:40)
12.	Bernard Lown, American cardiologist and co-founder of IPPNW	(1:36)
13.	Philip Noel-Baker	(1:03)
14.	Bernard Lown	(2:12)
15.	Michael Douglas reads from The New England Journal of Medicine	(2:50)
16.	Bernard Lown	(3:42)
17.	Bernard Lown	(2:30)
18.	Yevgeny Chazov, Russian cardiologist and co-founder of IPPNW	(2:08)
19.	Bernard Lown	(1:40)
20.	Yevgeny Chazov	(0:44)
21.	Michael Douglas reads from the 1987 INF Treaty	(1:03)
22.	Felicity Hill, Director of the U.N. office of WILPF	(1:26)
23.	Edith Ballantyne, Secretary-General of WILPF	(0:53)
24.	Felicity Hill	(0:53)
25.	Jane Addams, founding President of WILPF	(0:28)
26.	Felicity Hill	(0:48)
27.	Seán MacBride, President of the International Peace Bureau	(2:37)
28.	Michael Douglas reads a landmine statistic	(0:06)
29.	Jody Williams, International Campaign to Ban Landmines	(2:06)
30.	Bill Clinton, 42nd President of the United States	(0:43)
31.	Kofi Annan, former Secretary-General of the United Nations	(1:48)
32.	Alva Reimer Myrdal, Swedish diplomat and author	(1:08)
33.	Michael Douglas reads from The Game of Disarmament	(1:12)
34.	Linus Pauling, American scientist, author, and peace activist	(2:16)
35.	John F. Kennedy, 35th President of the United States	(2:24)
36.	Alfonso García Robles, Mexican diplomat and U.N. official	(0:58)
37.	Gunnar Berge, Norwegian Nobel Committee Chair	(1:00)
38.	Kofi Annan	(0:58)
39.	Michael Douglas reads closing credits	(0:52)