# Ward Wilson

Ward Hayes Wilson is a Senior Fellow and director of the Rethinking Nuclear Weapons project at the British American Security Information Council (BASIC), a think tank focusing on nuclear disarmament based in London and Washington, D.C. He lives and works in Trenton, New Jersey. == Career == Although Wilson was not widely published in the nuclear weapons field until 2007, he has quickly moved into “the forefront” of the debate about the value and utility of nuclear weapons and deterrence. He is one of five co-authors of a 2010 report sponsored by the Swiss government titled “Devaluing Nuclear Weapons,”Wilson is best known for his argument that the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki did not force Japan's surrender; a prevalent argument which some have recently come to challenge.Wilson was awarded the top prize ($10,000) in the Doreen and Jim McElvany Nonproliferation Challenge in 2008 for his “impressive and detailed critique of nuclear deterrence.” He received a substantial grant the following year to write, travel, and speak on nuclear weapons issues.