Nicolas Walter; Anarchism Expert, Nuclear War Foe

Nicolas Walter, 65, an internationally known author on anarchism who opposed nuclear warfare. Walter reached a worldwide audience in 1969 with the publication of his short booklet, “About Anarchism,” which was translated into dozens of languages including Japanese, Serbo-Croatian, Greek, Chinese and Russian. At home in Britain, Walter was known as something of a humanist for his efforts in prompting widespread protests of nuclear arms. In the early 1960s, he was responsible for leaking secret British government reports about what the country would do in the event of a nuclear war. That information sparked outcries against the plans. In addition to myriad booklets, Walter also wrote for British newspapers and magazines and worked on radio and television programs. He was diagnosed with testicular cancer in 1973 and suffered radiation side effects that eventually put him in a wheelchair. Asked why he didn’t sue Britain’s state health service, his humanist emotions emerged in his 1994 retort: “Why should I? If I sued . . . for negligence and won, it would mean there was less money for other people.” On March 7 in Milton Keynes, England, of cancer.