The symbol was commissioned by Bertrand Russell for the Committee of 100, an anti nuclear direct action (civil disobedience) group in England.

The Committee of 100, staged 'sit down' demonstrations where as many as 2,500 people were arrested in a single day and some served as long as five years in jail. The symbol is a combination of the semaphore (flag signals) of "N" and "D" combined. It was created in 1954 and the original artwork was purple and green. It was later adopted by the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND) and became the official anti nuclear arms symbol.

I have been beaten up several times for wearing the symbol in the sixties, when it was known as the CND symbol and find it sad that it is now used in advertising as a harmless image much like the 'smile logo'. Many people
suffered years in jail fighting for the Committee of 100 and CND. including a friend of mine. She served five years for nothing more than repeated sit down demonstrations. No violence or resisting arrest. Just sitting.

Wear the symbol with pride and fight the war mongers with the same courage and conviction of the original Committee of 100 members. The symbol is a badge of honor! Treat it as such.

The latest Washington Post-ABC News Poll shows that 77 percent of Americans say they support the decision to go to war. Just 16 percent say they oppose having gone to war.

Close, but in international semaphore code, "N" is both flags at a 45 degree angle to your body, and "D" is one flag all the way up and one all the way down. Thus a double exposure photograph of the signals would make something like the peace symbol. The outer circle could correspond to the arc made by the flags, as semaphore is taught as positions in a circle, arms all the way out for all characters.

I don't consider it a bad thing that the CND symbol has gone into the semiotic code of the whole culture. Trivialized, yes, but in this culture trivialization is often the sincerest form of flattery. The symbol has kept its denotative meaning better than most, losing only the nuclear disarmament connotation, which one could argue is still included in the more general concept of peace.

I consider the symbol an idea that refuses to die, proving that killing people doesn't kill ideas.

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