A TEST-BAN PRIN ER
Who called the Geneva test-ban
conference?
On Aug. 22, 1938 President Eisenhower
announced the suspension of U.S. nuclear
tests as of Oct. 31. 1985. and invited
the U.S.S.R. to a test-ban conference in
Geneva.
For what reason?
The Eisenhower Administration conceived a test-ban treaty as a possible step
toward controlled general disarmament. In
1953-37. When Russian propagandists were
clamoring for a ban, resident Eisenhower
insisted chat he would negotiate one only
as a part of a larger package. including a
of the Geneva Conference. As far as the
U.S. knows. the U.S.S.R. has not done any
Would the stopping of U.S. underground tests hamper development and
What would the U.S. gain from a
test-ban agreement?
The warheads designed for the Polar!
and Minuteman solid-tuel missiles. which
the U.S. is depending upon to close the
missile gap in the mid-ty6os. pack a nuclear punch of about hali a megaton, compared with an estimated eight megatons
testing since then,
The stopping of all above-ground tests
by Russia and Britain (as well as the
U.S.. of course) and perhaps some progress toward making outer space off limits
for nuclear shots. President: Eisenhower
and Secretary Herter also believe that it
would be good to get the nuclear rules
set up before other nations begin to manu-
facture nuclear weapons.
Would a nuclear treaty have to be
halt in production of nuclear materials
approved by the U.S. Senate?
ward disarmament.
Would the U.S. lose any of its present bombs bythe treaty?
for weapons purposes, and other steps to-
Why is the U.S. now discussing a
ban apart from disarmament?
President Eisenhower and Secretary of
State Herter hope that a test-ban treaty
will be a “first step” toward disarmament.
One of the biggest obstacles to any dis-
armament agreement with Ruszia is an al-
most paranoid Soviet wariness toward
Western inspection and contrat proposals.
Eisenhower and Herter think that if a
test-ban control system could be negotiated with the Russians. it might be a
“breakthrough” on disarmament control
problems.
When did the U.S. stop nuclear
tests?
On Oct. 30. at the end of the Hardtack
test series in Nevada. The series included
three underground tests of various sizes.
Did the U.S.S.R. also suspend nuclear testing?
Yes. by a two-thirds majority
No.
How many bombs does the U.S.
have?
The numberis classified. but the U.S.
does have a widely diversified and dependable ‘‘family” of bombs and warheads.
These range from small. low-vield. lightweight weapons used by ground and naval
forces to the big H-bombs carried ‘by
B-52s. Furthermore, there are nuclear de-
vices for antisubmarine warfare, antiaircraft. air-to-air missiles and interconti-
nental missiles.
Do the bombs and warheads deteriorate?
No, they need maintenance but they
remain lethal.
Is the U.S. supply enough to obliterate Russia?
Manytimes over.
Would the treaty banning above.
Not right away. It carried out a series
of tests in the fall of 1958. which scien-
surface tests injure development of
that they created a lot of radioactive failout. This was seve uc ks after the start
has all the big bombsit needs.
further big bombs?
It is generally conceded that the U.S.
ge es
ome aerate
woes
«
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og
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‘
carried by Soviet intercontinental bailis-
tic missiles. and about three or four m we
tons in the nose cone of the U.S.’s Acias
ICBM. With additional nuclear tests. the
yield of the Polaris and Minuteman warheads could be significantly increased. although Adniiral William Raborn Jr. nas
said he needs no further tests of the present Polaris warhead. Some U.S. scientisis
and military men would like further testing
to develop “clean” nuclear weapons wita
little fallout. The U.S. has developed
small warheads, with a yield of less than
one kiloton.* for use in tactical weapons. but so far these small warheads are
“dirty.” and the dirtiness makes it dif-
ficult for troops to follow behind the
bombardmient.
Would a halt in development of
tactical nuclear weapons impair U.S.
defense?
Some military experts think so. even if
the U.S.S.R. did not evade the ban by
carrying out clandestine tests. Develop-
ment of tactical nuclear weapons making
it possible for the U.S. to overcome Coammunist superiority in military manpower
without resorting to mass-destruction Hbombs, has long been a hope and geal of
U.S. military thinking. Former Atomic
Energy Commissioner Thomas E. Murray argues that the only way the U.S. can
escape from the “balance of terror” is to
shift from reliance on mass-destruction
H-bombs to reliance on tactical nuclear
weapons. A test ban, he
development of such
weapons. Many earnest
otherwise be willing to
says. would stop
tactical nuclear
men who might
go along with a
test ban are haunted by the possibility
that the U.S.S.R. would find wav: to
evade the ban and develop nuclear weapons superior to the U.S.'s. To guard
against this possibility. the U.S. has insisted from the outset that anv nuclear
test-ban agreement must include an adequate system of detection and control.
» le Som,
em
7 . q
-
$8244 uaivizoss¥
US. HARDTACK TEST SHOT FROM NEVADA TUNNEL (ocr. 1958)
wygent nee we ny
boatltidtantich, ale. abba.
tists agreed were very “dirty”—meaning
refinement of smal! nuclear devices?
How could clandestine tests be detected?
- That depends on the kind of test. A test
conducted on the surface of the earth or
in the atmosphere is relatively easy te
detect: it gives oft radiation that can be
= A kilaton is the equivalent: iu blasc af aco
fons of (INT. ‘The bomh that wrecked ffire-
shima
measured
about
to
Liletens.
in
the
Strauze Vocabulicy of nuclear weeqeatis, a anes
kiloton weapon is considered vsmdh A mewae
ton
is
1.000
kiletuns, or
1,000,000 tons of ‘TNT.
26
the
cquivalent af
TIME, APRIL 11, 1960