Cold War Protester Charles Hyder Dies in USA

Moscow News 23.06.2004

http://www.mosnews.com/news/2004/06/23/hyder.shtml

Charles Hyder, a US scientist known as a staunch opponent of the arms race, died in New Mexico at the age of 74.

His passing went virtually unnoticed by US media. Back in the 1980s his protests against the arms race received wide media coverage in the Soviet Union.

The scientist, who had worked for many years at NASA, and who held lectures at a US university, staunchly opposed the use of nuclear arms and harshly criticized President Ronald Reagan, deeming him guilty of an arms race. In 1986-87 Hyder underwent a seven-month fast in Washington, DC, protesting against the war. Mikhail Gorbachev expressed his support to the scientist, urging him to stop the strike and invited him to work in the Soviet Union.

Hyder became a popular figure on the Russian news, and many Soviet citizens took part in rallies of support of his action.

An environmental activist, Hyder campaigned against radioactive waste disposal in his home state of New Mexico. In 1998 he published his book “Human survival on a plutonium-contaminated planet”. See http://www.amadorbooks.com/books/pluto.htm

Here are some other articles about Charles which can be found on the web:

Where's Doc Hyder Now?
http://prop1.org/park/persons/hyder/hyd.htm

Astrophysicist Ends WIPP Fast
June 24, 2000 Nevada States News Service
http://www.state.nv.us/nucwaste/news/sns23.htm

What is a Hyder flare?
June 24, 2004 Australian Space Weather Agency
http://www.ips.gov.au/Main.php?CatID=8&SecID=2&SecName=The%20Sun%20and%20Solar%20Activity&SubSecID=5&SubSecName=Solar%20Flares&LinkName=Hyder%20Flares

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