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Documents

August 2, 1963

Antonín Gregor, 'Explanatory Memorandum [on the Limited Test Ban Treaty]'

A report produced by the Czechoslovak foreign ministry in August 1963 recommending the ratification of Limited Test Ban Treaty (LTBT).  One of the key goals of early Czechoslovak engagement in the ENDC was to reject a nuclear test ban, based on their rejection of any verification measures. However, once the Soviets agreed to the LTBT with the US and the United Kingdom, the Czechoslovak foreign ministry praised the agreement and attacked those (such as China) who resisted the measure. One interesting aspect of the treaty was the proposed role of depositary powers. The document indicates that the Soviets were interested in being a depositary power to the LTBT in order to prevent ratification by governments not recognized by the USSR, most notably West Germany and the Republic of China. The issue of depositary powers reappeared later on, in the NPT as well.

August 5, 1963

Reception of UN General Secretary U Thant by Chairman of the USSR Council of Ministers N.S. Khrushchev

U Thant and Nikita Khrushchev met on August 5, 1963, to discuss the upcoming signing of the Partial Nuclear Test Ban Treaty and broader disarmament efforts. They exchanged views on the role of the UN, non-nuclear zones, and the potential for future peace initiatives.

July 27, 1963

Memorandum of Conversation of Comrade N.S. Khrushchev with Indira Gandhi

Nikita Khrushchev, Indira Gandhi, and T.N. Kaul discuss the Sino-Indian border conflict, emphasizing the challenges of pursuing negotiations amid domestic pressures. They also address Indo-Soviet relations, India’s non-alignment policy, the upcoming nuclear test ban treaty, and Khrushchev’s reflections on the Cuban Missile Crisis as a lesson in preserving peace.

November 21, 1958

Record of a Conversation between N.S. Khrushchev with the Iraqi Public Figures, Members of the Peace Delegation

Khrushchev meets with and answers questions from an Iraqi Peace Delegation, including strategies for preventing war in the Middle East, the suspension of nuclear weapons testing, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, current situations in Algeria, Yemen, Oman, and Iran, and the possibility of the Soviet Union building a pilot hospital in Baghdad.

January 1, 1964

Report by Shri S. Sinha, Director (EARC) – Ministry of External Affairs, 'Brief Analysis of the propagandist statements on disarmament and nuclear-free zone made by the Peoples Republic of China'

The Peoples Republic of China supports disarmament and a nuclear-free zone in the Asian and Pacific Regions strictly for tactical reasons

September 13, 1963

Letter from the worker of Donetsk metallurgy plant Nikolai Bychkov to Ukrainian Republican Committee of Peace Protection, Donetsk

This letter is just an example of similar numerous letters which were sent to Kiev on the occasion of signing Partial Test Ban Treaty (PTBT) in 1963. In these letters the Ukrainian teachers, workers, collective farmers wrote about their happiness because of partial prohibiting of the nuclear tests. At the same time these letters condemn China, whose relations with USSR had deteriorated by that time and who prepared to perform its first atmospheric nuclear test which broke PTBT regime.

October 28, 1958

Cable from the Chinese Embassy in the Soviet Union, 'Gromyko Discussed the Issue of Stopping Nuclear Weapons Tests'

Gromyko informs Liu Xiao of the Soviet position and strategy in its negotiations with the United States and the United Kingdom for halting nuclear tests.

November 1963

Ion Gheorghe Maurer, 'The Unshakeable Foundation of the Unity of the International Communist Movement' (excerpts)

Prime Minister Ion Gheorghe Maurer describes Romania's new policies and approach to relations with China and the Soviet Union at a time when Romania was increasingly attempting to distance itself from the Warsaw Pact and the Soviet Union's military control. Toward this end, Mauer proclaims a policy of military disengagement and disarmament, declaring that mediation and negotiation are the only legitimate way of resolving international tensions.

September 5, 1963

Zhou Enlai’s Discussion with a Kenyan African National Federation Delegation (Excerpt)

Zhou Enlai criticizes the Three-Nation Treaty (Limited Test Ban Treaty) of 1963, arguing that it signifies an attempt by the US, UK, and USSR to monopolize nuclear weapons. Enlai warns that the agreement will allow larger nuclear countries to commit “nuclear blackmail” against smaller, non-nuclear countries.

October 31, 1974

Memorandum, Hungarian Foreign Ministry, on India's Policy on Nuclear Disarmament

An extended Hungarian Foreign Ministry memorandum explicating the development of India's policy on nuclear arms and disarmament from the 1960s as well as a discussion on the reasons that the socialist countries--including Hungary--have chosen not to condemn India for its May 1974 nuclear explosion.