Carol Pendell

Pendell joined the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF) in 1965, after becoming interested in the peace movement during her college years. She organized the United States’ participation in WILPF peace seminars from 1972 to 1980. Pendell served as the International President of WILPF from 1980 to 1986. When she was not in the presidency, she was also the United States’ International Representative to the organization.

Pendell was co-founder of the US-USSR Citizens Dialogue, leading delegations to Moscow during the 1970s to discuss peace between the two nations.

On April 20, 1976, Pendell was invited to speak at the Claremont School of Theology in Claremont, California, providing insight into her life and ideals as a peace activist. Pendell spoke about the importance of the feminist and peace movements, noting their interrelated nature. Due to the rise of nuclear weapons, she argued, women could not have equality without peace, and vice versa. Pendell urged women to use their “power” during the United Nations Decade of Women, and even encouraged men to join the feminist fight, stating that equality could not be won without their help. Speaking about the peace movement more broadly, Pendell called attention to the fact that the United States military budget was far greater than its budget for social services. She argued for disarmament, as nuclear weapons were “the nightmare that will not go away.” She spoke about the potential errors in human judgment that could lead to nuclear war, warning her audience that just one person could have the power to bring about global destruction. Pandell also warned listeners of the dangers of a “snowballing” nuclear war, in which increased use of nuclear weapons would only magnify destruction and danger over time. She addressed the divisions within the feminist movement, urging for women to fight for more inclusion in decision-making at “local, state, and national levels.” In her speech, Pendell also disparaged lesbian feminists, arguing that there were “more legitimate women’s concerns” that needed to be addressed.

In April of 1980, as part of her duties as the United States’ International Representative to WILPF, Pendell traveled to Moscow to meet with the Soviet Women’s Committee. The two groups discussed peace efforts between the United States and the USSR.