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Career Highlights: Journalist
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Paul Leventhal founded the Nuclear Control Institute in 1981 and served as its president for 21 years prior to his retirement in June 2002. Mr. Leventhal now serves as Advisor and President Emeritus. Prior to founding NCI, Mr. Leventhal held senior staff positions in the United States Senate on nuclear power and proliferation issues.
He
has prepared five books
for the Institute and has lectured in a number of countries on nuclear
issues, including as Distinguished Visiting Fellow at Cambridge University's
Global Security Programme.
Mr.
Leventhal organized the Institute's International
Task Force on Prevention of Nuclear Terrorism, its conference in South
America on averting a nuclear arms race between Argentina and Brazil,
a coalition of eminent U.S. scientists and diplomats seeking a halt in
further production of nuclear-weapon materials, and a working group of
public interest organizations in Washington on nuclear proliferation issues.
He served as Special Counsel to the Senate Government Operations Committee, 1972-1976, and as Staff Director of the Senate Nuclear Regulation Subcommittee, l979-1981. He was responsible for the investigations and legislation that resulted in enactment of two landmark nuclear laws---the Energy Reorganization Act of 1974, replacing the Atomic Energy Commission with separate regulatory and promotional agencies, and the Nuclear NonProliferation Act of 1978, establishing stricter controls on U.S. nuclear trade to combat the spread of nuclear weapons. He also served as director of the Senate Special Investigation of the Three Mile Island Nuclear Accident, 1979-1980, and prepared the "lessons learned" legislation enacted in 1980 to require preventive measures and emergency planning for future accidents.
Mr. Leventhal was a Research Fellow at Harvard University's Program for Science and International Affairs, 1976-1977, concentrating on nuclear weapons proliferation under a grant from the Ford Foundation.
He served as Assistant Administrator for Policy and Planning at the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), 1977-1978.
Mr. Leventhal came to Washington in 1969 as Press Secretary to Senator Jacob K. Javits (RN.Y.) after a decade of political and investigative reporting for the Cleveland Plain Dealer, New York Post and Newsday. In l972, he served as Congressional Correspondent for National Journal before returning to Capitol Hill to pursue legislative and investigative responsibilities.
He
holds a bachelor's degree in government, magna cum laude, from Franklin
and Marshall College. The college presented him its Alumni Medal in 1988
for distinguished professional accomplishment and contributions to society,
and an honorary
doctor of laws degree in 2001 before he delivered that year’s
commencement
address. He holds a master's degree from the Columbia University Graduate
School of Journalism. He is married and has two sons.