July 16, 2025
Atomic Pilgrim
How Walking Thousands of Miles for Peace Led to
Uncovering Some of America’s Darkest Nuclear Secrets
James Patrick Thomas’s path toward nuclear disarmament began on Good Friday, 1982, when he and his fellow peace pilgrims started walking away from the Trident Nuclear Submarine Base near Seattle. Their Bethlehem Peace Pilgrimage would span 6,700 miles across the United States and nine other countries, each step aimed at ending the nuclear arms race.
After two years on the road, Jim continued his pursuit of peace and disarmament. Back in Spokane, Washington, Jim turned his attention toward the Hanford plutonium factory—one of the original Manhattan Project sites just 110 miles from his home. Over the next two decades, Jim helped uncover stunning revelations about Hanford’s toxic regional impact and its role in our nation’s nuclear weapons complex.
Atomic Pilgrim is the story of how one person’s faith, actions, and persistence can impact seemingly immovable systems and hold even the most powerful bureaucracies to account.
Advance Praise
“Jim Thomas is a peacemaking miracle. He walks a way of peace that can turn humanity from extinction to life. Read him and believe in miracles for us all.”
—Jim Douglass, author of JFK and the Unspeakable
“This is a wonderful hope-inspiring book! A tonic for sagging spirits in these dark days.”
—Shelley Douglass, co-founder of the Ground Zero Center for Nonviolent Action
“A passionate memoir by an anti-nuclear activist and committed patriot.”
—Gregg Herken, author of Brotherhood of the Bomb:
The Tangled Lives and Loyalties of Robert Oppenheimer, Ernest Lawrence, and Edward Teller
“Atomic Pilgrim relates the journey of a person deeply committed to a world without nuclear weapons. Uniquely, the book provides both scientifically solid information, personal sharing of his faith in God, and rich stories of friendships with a variety of people in different parts of the world. Although I only met him once when he visited Japan in 2023, in reading Atomic Pilgrim, I have come to know him better and more deeply.”
—Mercedarian Missionaries of Berriz Sister Shizue “Filo” Hirota,
consultant for the Catholic Council for Justice and Peace of the Bishops’ Conference of Japan
“This book, for me, is about quiet heroism. Tenderly written from the perspective of a young man who found himself walking from Seattle to Bethlehem in the name of peace, this trip served to inform Thomas's entire life's work. During these chaotic times, when we so desperately need to identify our heroes, this book will give you new and important perspectives.”
—Teri Hein, author of Atomic Farmgirl: Growing Up Right in the Wrong Place
“Atomic Pilgrim is an inspiring reminder of the many paths opened by courageous people of faith leading to a more peaceful world. Now with a renewed nuclear arms race, Atomic Pilgrim challenges us all to be prophets testifying to the truth.”
—Prof. Dr. Massimo Faggioli, Professor of Historical Theology,
Villanova University and author of Vatican II: The Battle for Meaning.
“Atomic Pilgrim is a riveting account by James Patrick Thomas of the 6,700-mile pilgrimage for peace. Father George Zabelka led the arduous journey across the USA and nine other countries to Bethlehem. For Thomas, the experience was transformative. Returning to the USA, he sought the truth about radioactive contamination released from Hanford and other nuclear weapons sites. Atomic Pilgrim is an inspiring memoir that raises important questions for today about the human costs of nuclear weapons.”
—Cynthia C. Kelly, President of the Atomic Heritage Foundation
“Atomic Pilgrim is a deeply moving narrative of personal struggle in the face of an existential threat that we ignore at our peril, and an indictment of government secrets that jeopardize human health and survival. It is a ray of hope for citizens who want to hold government accountable.”
—Steve Colecchi, Former Director, Office of International Justice and Peace, United States Conference of Catholic Bishops