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The Nuclear Test Ban Treaty of 1963

 In 1955, the United States, the Soviet Union, the United Kingdom, Canada and France convened with the United Nations Disarmament Commission to discuss a halt to nuclear weapons testing. It had become evident in the last few years that the radioactive fallout from such testing posed a threat to the global atmosphere, and governments hoped to resolve the issue (Freedman). 

Before any agreement was reached, Cold War tensions between the US and USSR drove discussions to a halt and no officials documents were signed. Nevertheless, in 1958, both the United States and the USSR announced that they would suspend all atmospheric nuclear weapons tests (“Nuclear Test Ban Treaty”).

When John F Kennedy, became president of United States in 1960, he pledged to uphold the moratorium on above-ground testing and sought to reach an agreement with the USSR on a test ban treaty. By August 1961, however, the Soviet Union had announced they would resume atmospheric testing and proceed to test the largest nuclear weapon in history. The United States then felt forced to resume atmospheric tests in the Spring of 1962  (“Nuclear Test Ban Treaty”). 

Ultimately, the Cuban Missile Crisis had the largest impact on progress towards a treaty. Both JFK, and then leader of the Soviet Union Kruschev both reflected on how the incident had shaped their understanding of the power of nuclear weapons. In the summer of 1963, diplomatic meetings in Moscow between representatives from the US, the USSR, and the UK resulted in the Nuclear Test Ban Treaty (“Nuclear Test Ban Treaty”). The treaty banned all nuclear weapons tests and explosions underwater, in the atmosphere in space, by the end of the summer, one hundred other governments had signed it (Freedman).  

While the treaty was a significant step forward in diplomatic relations on the topic of disarmament, it ultimately did not have a large impact on the Nuclear Arms Race. It did not require inspections and did not assign an international organization to supervise its enactment (Freedman). It was only three decades later, in 1996 that the United Nations General Assembly voted on the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty, which banned all nuclear tests (Freedman). 

This treaty will not have been signed by the time our committee starts, and delegates will have the opportunity to decide whether follow history’s suit or diverge into alternate possibilities. That being said, it is important to understand the historical context for these agreements to understand the complexity of the situation and what your role’s, or your cabinet’s position will be. 

Freedman, Lawrence D. “Nuclear Test-Ban Treaty | 1963.” Encyclopædia Britannica, 10 Dec. 2018, www.britannica.com/event/Nuclear-Test-Ban-Treaty.

“Nuclear Test Ban Treaty | JFK Library.” Jfklibrary.org, 2019, www.jfklibrary.org/learn/about-jfk/jfk-in-history/nuclear-test-ban-treaty.

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