Brian Finlay, President and CEO of the Stimson Center sent the following letter to the Stimson Center community on the passing of Michael Krepon, co-founder of the Stimson Center, on July 16, 2022.
Members of the Stimson Center community,
I am deeply saddened to share the news that Michael Krepon, co-founder of the Stimson Center and a tireless advocate for international peace and security, passed away this weekend at his home in Charlottesville, Virginia. Our thoughts are foremost with Sandra, Misha, Joshua, and indeed, with Michael’s entire family.
Michael was an internationally renowned leader in the fight to prevent nuclear war, and an eloquent advocate for pragmatic ways to reduce the threat that nuclear weapons pose to our civilization. For those who had the benefit of knowing him, he was a friend and mentor, a voice of conscience and kindness, and a stalwart advocate for the organization that has continued his legacy of leadership. To say that he will be missed, and to acknowledge that we owe him a debt of gratitude, would be both true and a woefully insufficient expression of this profound loss.
It was in service to others that Michael found his calling, dedicating himself to protecting humankind from our worst impulses. He was an early and influential post-Cold War advocate for the complete elimination of nuclear weapons, helping to bring that idea into the mainstream. As President of the Stimson Center, with co-founder Barry Blechman, he played essential roles in the creation of the Open Skies Treaty, the permanent extension of the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty, and ratification of the Chemical Weapons Convention, each landmark achievements in their own right. Michael’s impact was also especially felt in South Asia, where he worked with a generation of leaders in both India and Pakistan to apply the lessons of the Cold War, build confidence between adversaries, and reduce the chance of nuclear war on the subcontinent. He was the author of 23 books, most recently Winning and Losing the Nuclear Peace: The Rise, Demise, and Revival of Arms Control, and countless papers and essays.
Michael leaves a lasting legacy in the Stimson Center, and the generations of staff, rising researchers, and budding professionals whom he taught, helped, advised, and mentored. That is why, more than three decades after Michael and Barry created it, the Stimson Center remains committed to their vision of international peace, security, and prosperity. Those who wish to support the Stimson Center in honor of Michael’s legacy or share a personal remembrance, may do so here.
There is more to say about Michael than I could possibly write today. And so I will leave you with the last words he wrote to our staff, just a few weeks ago, when he made the fact of his illness public:
The work you do makes me proud. Your persistence, commitment, and creativity matters. You are the antidote for troubled times. I believe in you.
Michael bequeaths to each of us what he called, “the gift of meaningful work.” With that profound gift comes the obligation for each of us to seek a safer, more prosperous and more just society for all.
Onwards together,
Brian