Not everyone agreed with developing nuclear weapons for a policy of mutually-assured destruction (MAD). Throughout the 1960s and 1970s, some members of the public became very vocal against the government's stockpiling of nuclear weapons – because of the dangers to planet earth if they were ever used. New groups like CND (Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament) were formed, which held rallies and protests at key sites across Britain.

Sometimes the demonstrations became very heated, as police tried to stop protestors from gathering or camping outside sites like RAF Greenham Common in Berkshire, which in the 1980s stored Tomahawk cruise missiles and ballistic missiles.

Occasionally, the protests caught the media attention and were covered by TV news. Their activities were seen as anti-government and a threat to national security, therefore some leading members were kept under secret surveillance by the British Secret Service, MI5.

Although the protestors' voice of conscience was important during the Cold War, their views raise interesting dilemmas – for example, what might have been the outcome of the Cold War if only the Russians had had nuclear weapons? Was it possible to halt technological development? Or was it simply a matter of waiting for leaders to see sense and sign mutual disarmament treaties.