The Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies (FSI) mourns the passing of John R. Harvey, a physicist who served the U.S. government for nearly five decades as an expert on nuclear weapons and U.S. defense policy. He died August 27, 2024.

From 1989 to 1995, Dr. Harvey directed the Science Program at Stanford University’s Center for International Security and Arms Control, which would later be known as the Center for International Security and Cooperation (CISAC), a research center at FSI. There, he led research efforts on the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and delivery systems and on the safety and security of U.S. nuclear weapons.

Dr. Harvey was the author of numerous articles in peer reviewed and public policy publications.

He is survived by his wife, Sarah E. Mendelson, whom he married in 2000, his sister Judy Harvey, and his brother Paul Harvey.

A celebration of Dr. Harvey’s life will be held in Washington at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in mid-October. Donations in Dr. Harvey’s memory can be made to Rutgers University’s Physics Department and Georgetown University’s Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center.

Below, several former CISAC colleagues offer their personal remembrances of Dr. Harvey. His complete obituary is here.
 

***

Others will write of John’s many accomplishments and his significant service to the government. I write about John the mensch. First, John was an excellent director of the CISAC science fellows program. He worked closely with the science fellows, was interested in every scholar’s work at CISAC, and was nice to everyone. Second, John was one of the sweetest men who was ever at CISAC. He met his wife Sarah Mendelson at CISAC and was devoted to her from the beginning. I’m so sad to be writing this.

- Lynn Eden, Senior Research Scholar Emeritus at the Center for International Security and Cooperation
 

***

John was an unapologetic supporter of a robust U.S. nuclear deterrent. His views were informed by experience at national labs, academe (including CISAC), and government. I found his writings and speeches informative and worth keeping. As I checked back over just the past seven years, I found an archive of 155 of John’s e-mails elucidating his nuclear thinking and putting it in context of current times – although seven of those were dedicated to announcing the start of the Major League Baseball season for his beloved Washington Nationals. 

 
- Siegfried S. Hecker, former Co-Director of the Center for International Security and Cooperation, and 5th director of the Los Alamos National Laboratory
 

***

At CISAC, John Harvey was the best colleague you could ever wish for.  He was curious about everything, generous with his time in teaching me about things that he was an expert on and I was not, and deeply committed to leveraging academic research for improving policy outcomes.  He then want on to do all of these for the U.S. government. He had a deep commitment to public service which rubbed off on me.  We have lost a great patriot, scholar, and friend.

 
- Michael McFaul, Director of the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies, and Ken Olivier and Angela Nomellini Professor of International Studies, Department of Political Science
 

***

John Harvey will be missed by his many friends at Stanford, where he was an always thoughtful participant in the seminars and discussions on national security. He played a key role in helping me prepare for my classes and seminars, and was one of the lecturers for these classes, always doing an outstanding job.

- William J. Perry, Michael and Barbara Berberian Professor Emeritus, and 19th U.S. secretary of defense
 

***

John was the embodiment of the CISAC ideal:  intellectually rigorous, curious about the world, and dedicated to improving national policy on issues critical to our security. His energy and enthusiasm were infectious, as was his courage to stand up to bad policy and bad ideas.

- Brad Roberts, director of Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory’s Center for Global Security Research, and CISAC affiliate
 

***

John Harvey was a superb mentor to young scientists and engineers seeking to work in national security affairs. He combined strong technical analysis with a solid sense of political processes and military operations to produce excellent policy-relevant publications.

- Scott Sagan, Co-Director of the Center for International Security and Cooperation, and Caroline S.G. Munro Professor of Political Science