The first Conference was held in Pugwash over a period of five days in July 1957. The 22 scientists who attended included representatives from both sides of the Cold War—seven Americans, three from the USSR, three from Japan, two from the United Kingdom, two from Canada, and one participant each from Australia, Austria, China, France, and Poland. Given the diversity, the meeting had to be handled deftly to prevent the initiative from being smeared as pro-communist. Their joint statement established a basis for future meetings and marked an early step towards détente.

Russell did not attend the meeting but he did record a statement that was played to the attendees in Pugwash. There is no doubt that without Russell’s energetic sponsorship, the Pugwash movement would not have occurred at all. Not to be outdone, the hospitality shown by Cyrus Eaton and his soon-to-be wife, Anne Kinder, also contributed greatly to the success of the gathering.