Tony Smythe leaves the WRI office

by Harold F. Bing

As is now generally known, Tony Smythe ceased, on 23rd October, 1964, to be Joint Secretary of the WRI. He joined the WRI staff as Assistant Secretary in January 1960 at the age of 21, after experience as a school teacher. He already had a good pacifist record having been sentenced to 3 months' imprisonment as a CO in 1958. He quickly acquired a thorough grasp of the varied nature and intricate details of the work, and, when he had been with us barely sic months, assumed full responsibility for the office on Arlo Tatum's going to India to prepare for the Triennial Conference of December 1960. After the Gandhigram Conference, Tony continued to carry the main burden of WRI work since, by arrangement with the Council, Arlo devoted himself mainly to the preparation of the Beirut Conference of January 1962 which launched the World Peace Brigade and then to the early work for the Brigade, until he left the WRI for other activities.

Tony became General Secretary. Thenceforward these two were jointly responsible for the work at headquarters, their different backgrounds, temperaments and experience making their contributions complementary. The WRI has owed a great deal to them both. In particular, one must mention Tony's work for the WRI's quarterly periodical. Under his editorship, it has not only changed its name (from The War Resister to War Resistance), but it has been remodelled in type and lay-out and has in every way become more attractive. Readers have appreciated too the issues devoted to special topics such as the one on Cyprus, and the last issue on German Militarism. It is very helpful, occasionally, to have a sort of small handbook on a theme of topical interest and importance.

It was with surprise and regret that the Council at its meeting in July last learned of Tony's intention to leave the service of the WRI. He is taking up the post of Personnel and Training Manager with the Scott-Bader Commonwealth, a co-ownership industrial enterprise, near Wellingborough, Northamptonshire, which is seeking to apply pacifist principles in the economic field. In his letter of resignation Tony said that apart from family reasons for the change, he felt that it was undesirable for a person to remain in employment in one peace organisation for more than about five years, since one tended to become exhausted and stereotyped in one's responses, and to lose touch with the main stream of life. He continued: 'My personal attitude to the WRI is one of immense gratitude. It has enabled me to work in the field which will always be the most important to me - the international peace movement - with so many fine people at the Secretariat, on the Council and Wherever I have direct contact. I have been introduced to many organisations, ideas and even places which perhaps I should never have known otherwise.'

The Council adopted the following resolution which, I am sure, expresses the feeling of the whole movement:

'The Council has learned with great regret Tony Smythe's decision to resign from the position of Joint Secretary of the WRI. The work he has done over the past five years has been invaluable to the whole movement. In a changing situation he, along with Devi Prasad, has done much to give the WRI a vision of its place and its importance in the Peace Movement and in the world at large. His contacts and work with new peace groups both in England and elsewhere have been especially valuable. We wish Tony every success in his new work and hope at the same time that he will be able to continue to contribute to the development of the WRI.'

It was further agreed to co-opt Tony to the Council and appoint him a member of the Executive from the date of his resignation.

We are glad to know that Tony's interest in the WRI and in the Peace Movement generally are in no way diminished by his change of employment. We wish him every success in his new sphere of activity and hope that he, together with Jeanne and the children, will be very happy in their new environment.