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September 7, 1961

Memorandum of Conversation of N.S. Khrushchev with the Prime Minister of India, Jawaharlal Nehru

Nikita Khrushchev and Jawaharlal Nehru discuss global disarmament, the Soviet Union's resumption of nuclear weapons testing, and the ongoing tensions surrounding Berlin. Khrushchev defends Soviet nuclear tests as a necessary response to perceived Western threats and the failure of disarmament talks, asserting that such actions are essential to safeguard the USSR and the socialist bloc. He reassures Nehru that access to West Berlin will remain unobstructed after the signing of a peace treaty with East Germany, though the legal basis would shift from occupation rights to agreements with the GDR. Both leaders emphasize their shared commitment to disarmament, but Nehru voices concerns that continued nuclear testing may derail global peace efforts and delay meaningful progress toward disarmament.

March 14, 2023

Interview with Daryl Kimball

In this interview, Daryl Kimball reflects on his career in nuclear disarmament advocacy and the evolving challenges of arms control. He emphasizes the importance of persistence and adaptability in the face of setbacks, while also acknowledging successes like the reduction in nuclear weapons testing and arms control treaties. Kimball discusses the role of the Arms Control Association (ACA) in shaping nuclear policy through both analysis and advocacy. He also highlights the impact of civil society on nuclear disarmament and the complex relationship between government policies and the goals of nuclear abolition.

This document summary was generated by an artificial intelligence language model and was reviewed by a Wilson Center staff member.

October 17, 1958

Press Release containing a Speech by Minister of External Affairs Frank Aiken and Draft Resolutions on Nuclear Disarmament

Aiken’s first step was a modest paragraph calling for the formation of a UN commission to recommend measures to the next session. However, global attentions were focused on nuclear tests and their health effects, so Aiken linked his initiative with the American-led seventeen-power resolution requesting all states to suspend testing voluntarily. Aiken proposed an amendment to that motion that included the notion of brokering an understanding between nuclear weapons powers and non-nuclear powers.  He submitted that the former voluntarily desist from supplying nuclear weapons to other countries, while non-nuclear powers reciprocated and volunteered not to develop such weapons during a test suspension. This proposed quid pro quo became a staple in the Irish resolutions subsequently and eventually be inscribed into the NPT.

Aiken’s speech invoked recognizable tropes such as a ‘geometric’ increase in nuclear powers, creating an urgent need to halt the spread. His speech was seminal in identifying themes he and international opinion would rehearse in future years. He conjured up fears about small states and revolutionary groups with a bomb acting as ‘the detonator for world-wide thermonuclear war’. Aiken was perceptive – he expected criticisms about institutionalized equality between states (nuclear “haves” and “have nots”), harms to alliances, the sufficiency of test bans, and the absence of monitoring. He sought to disprove the validity of such critiques, and these issues were worked through gradually, eventually leading to the finalization of the NPT ten years later.  

May 1990

Program for the International Citizens Congress for a Nuclear Test Ban

A participant program for the International Citizens Congress for a Nuclear Test Ban. In addition to a letter welcoming participants to the congress, a detailed schedule of events, list of speakers, draft appeal to the leaders of nuclear weapons testing states, and map of the area around the participants' hotel in Alma-Ata are included.

November 22, 2019

Leonard Weiss, 'My Involvement with the 1979 Vela Satellite (6911) Event'

Statement made by Leonard Weiss about his memories of the 1979 VELA Incident.

November 8, 2019

The VELA Incident: A Statement Written by Dr. Alan Berman

A statement written by Dr. Alan Berman about the 1979 VELA Incident.

November 21, 2019

Richard L. Garwin, 'More from a Ruina-panel Member'

Accounts and memories of the 1979 VELA Incident and the Ruina Panel put together by Richard L. Garwin.

March 10, 1962

Memorandum of Conversation of N.S. Khrushchev with the Ambassador of Japan in the USSR H. Yamada

Khrushchev and Ambassador Yamada discuss US nuclear testing, prospects for disarmament, and the challenges facing the Eighteen-Nation Disarmament Committee. They also review Soviet-Japanese political and trade relations, with Khrushchev expressing interest in expanding economic ties while criticizing US influence over Japan’s trade decisions.

October 7, 1968

Decisions of the Politburo of the Central Committee of the CPSU for 3-11 October 1968, '16. On the Issue of the Draft Resolution of the USA on the Responsibility of the International Agency for Atomic Energy to Conduct Peaceful Nuclear Explosions'

The Politburo confirms the instructions previously sent to their delegation at the IAEA General Conference, in regards to the IAEA's responsibilities towards nuclear testing.Decisions of the Politburo of the Central Committee of the CPSU for 3-11 October 1968
 

April 26, 1966

Directive, CPSU CC Politburo to Cde. Roshchin, Soviet Representative in Geneva

Soviets contact the ambassador in Geneva about possible discussions with the Swedes and the Polish about the "detection club".

Pagination