{{Short description|American anti-nuclear activist (1938–2007)}}
{{Infobox person | name = Paul Leventhal | image = Paul_Levinthal.jpg | alt = | caption = | birth_name = Paul Lincoln Leventhal | birth_date = {{Birth date|1938|2|12|df=yes}} | birth_place = Manhattan, New York, U.S. | death_date = {{death date and age|2007|4|10|1938|2|12|df=yes}} | death_place = Chevy Chase, Maryland, U.S. | occupation = Journalist, nuclear nonproliferation expert | known_for = Founder of the Nuclear Control Institute | spouse = Sharon Tanzer | children = 2 }}
'''Paul Lincoln Leventhal''' (12 February 1938 – 10 April 2007) was an American journalist and nuclear nonproliferation advocate. He was the founder and long-serving president of the Nuclear Control Institute (NCI).<ref name="guardian" /><ref name="nyt" /><ref name="nci" />
== Early life == Leventhal was born in Manhattan, New York, the son of Jack and Helen Shapiro Leventhal.<ref name="nyt" /> He graduated ''magna cum laude'' from Franklin & Marshall College in 1959 after which he earned a master’s degree in journalism from the Columbia School of Journalism in 1960.<ref name="guardian" /><ref name="nyt" />
Leventhal began his career as an investigative reporter at ''The Plain Dealer'', later working for the ''New York Post'' and ''Newsday''.<ref name="nyt" />
== Career == In 1969, Senator Jacob K. Javits appointed Leventhal as press secretary, where he began focusing on energy issues. He contributed to major U.S. legislation including the Energy Reorganization Act of 1974 and the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Act of 1978.<ref name="guardian" /> Leventhal also co-directed the Three Mile Island investigation (1979–1980) and was staff director of the Senate subcommittee on nuclear regulation.<ref name="nyt" />
In 1977, Leventhal helped expose the Plumbat affair, in which about 200 tonnes of yellowcake (processed uranium ore) were secretly shipped to Israel for its nuclear weapons program.<ref name="nytimes" /> Disguised as “Plumbat” (lead) to evade controls, the cargo was diverted at sea. His work drew attention to gaps in safeguards and contributed to the 1978 Nuclear Non-Proliferation Act.<ref name="guardian" />
== Nuclear Control Institute == Leventhal founded the Nuclear Control Institute in 1981, serving as president for over twenty years. Through lobbying, writing, and international visits, he argued that commercial nuclear power increased risks of weapons proliferation and terrorism.<ref name="nyt" /><ref name="guardian" /> In June 2002 he became Founding President.<ref name="nci" />
== Later life and death == Leventhal warned against the expansion of nuclear energy as a response to climate change, citing security risks. He remained active in public debates on nuclear issues until shortly before his death from cancer on 10 April 2007 at his home in Chevy Chase, Maryland.<ref name="nyt" /> He was survived by his wife, Sharon Tanzer, their two sons and two grandchildren.<ref name="guardian" /><ref name="nyt" />
== References == <references>
<ref name="guardian">{{cite news |last=Lowry |first=David |title=Paul Leventhal |url=https://www.theguardian.com/news/2007/apr/17/guardianobituaries.armstrade |work=The Guardian |date=17 April 2007 |access-date=19 October 2025}}</ref> <ref name="nyt">{{cite news |last=Hevesi |first=Dennis |title=Paul Leventhal, Who Opposed Commercial Use of Nuclear Power, Dies at 69 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/12/obituaries/12leventhal.html |work=The New York Times |date=12 April 2007 |access-date=19 October 2025 |url-access=subscription}}</ref> <ref name="nci">{{cite web |title=NCI Staff |url=https://www.nci.org/new/nci-sta.htm |website=nci.org (archived website) |access-date=19 October 2025}}</ref> <ref name="nytimes">{{cite news |last1=Leventhal |first1=Paul L. |title=The Plumbat Affair |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1978/04/30/archives/the-plumbat-affair.html |access-date=19 October 2025 |work=The New York Times|url-access=subscription |date=April 30, 1978}}</ref>
</references>
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Category:1938 births Category:2007 deaths Category:American journalists Category:American anti–nuclear weapons activists Category:Franklin & Marshall College alumni Category:Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism alumni Category:People from Manhattan Category:Deaths from cancer in Maryland Category:American environmentalists