RACE FOR DESTRUCTION: The nuclear arms race
In July 15, 1945 the United States of America detonated the first Atomic Bomb in New Mexico.
It was called the "Trinity" test, exploding with a force equivalent to 18,000 tones of TNT.
Later, (July 25), the United States General Carl Spaatz (Commander of the Strategic Air Force in the Pacific in the war with the Japanese), received a directive to drop an atomic bomb in Japan. On August 6, the "Little Boy" atomic bomb exploded approximately 1,900 feet above Hiroshima with a force equivalent to 12,500 tones of TNT. Three days later, on August 9, 1945, the U.S. A-bomb "Fat Man" exploded at around 1,650 feet over Nagasaki with a yield equivalent of 22,000 tons of TNT. Many died (140,000) in Nagasaki and Hiroshima by the end of 1945.
By December 24, 1945, the U.S. Embassy in Moscow warned of a determined and concentrated effort by the USSR to build an atomic bomb.
On February 9, 1946, Joseph Stalin gave a speech at the Bolshoi Theatre, marking the deterioration in relations with the U.S. Two months later, Soviet scientist Iulii Khariton chose Sarov/Arzamas as the confidential location for Soviet weapons lab.
On November 10, 1946 there was the first full-scale assembly of a nuclear reactor, by a team of Soviet scientists headed by Igor Kurchatov.
On Christmas day Soviet scientists achieved nuclear chain reaction, one of the primary steps in building the atomic bomb.
In October 1947, Joint Chiefs of Staff declare that 150 "Nagasaki type" bombs would be sufficient to defend the United States and defeat the USSR. The hoard of weapons was still undersized at that point (20-50) but growing.
In April of 1948 the Atomic Energy Commission started "Operation Sandstone" at Eniwetok Atoll in the Pacific Ocean to test the improved designs of nuclear fission bombs (nuclear fission is used in atomic bombs; nuclear fusion is used in hydrogen bombs). Later, in July, Andrei Sakharov, a Soviet physicist, begins the development of the "Layer Cake" concept for the hydrogen bomb.
In late August of 1949 the first Soviet atomic bomb test is exploded in Kazakhstan. This shows the progress of the Soviets in their nuclear technology, comparable to the Americans, whom are more advanced at this moment.
On January 31st of the next year, 1950, President Truman states his decision to start developing the hydrogen bomb. Five days later, in February, twelve leading American physicists speak out against President Truman's decision to build the H-bomb. However, the Joint Intelligence Committee foretold the build up of the Soviet atomic arsenal and the chance of an attack against the United States "at earliest possible moment". The U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff asked for an "all out effort to build H-bomb". Later in April the National Security Council (document NSC-68) warned of a surprise attack by the Soviet Union once "it has sufficient atomic capability", though in late September the NSC-68 document was adopted as a statement of policy, but as a result the United States defence spending was increased by more than 350%.
On May 9th, 1951 the United States conducted the "George" test in the Pacific: a large fission (atomic) bomb that generated the first thermonuclear reaction. A thermonuclear reaction is a fusion reaction that produces an enormous amount of energy, and can be created by means of extremely intense heat. Thermonuclear reactions can only occur in a form of matter called plasma (a form of matter made up of electrically charged atomic particles).
In 1952, Britain started to develop in nuclear weapons. On October 3, 1952, the first British test, code-named "Hurricane" was carried out off the northwest coast of Australia.
A month later, the United States successfully tested "Mike", the first hydrogen bomb at Eniwetok in the Pacific.
On November 3, 1953, the first Soviet test of a thermonuclear device (Andrei Sakharov's "Layer Cake") took place. On March 1st, 1954, he and Igor Tamm were presented with the Hero of Socialist Labour and the Stalin Prize for their work on the "Layer Cake".
After May 10, 1955, the Soviet Union surprisingly accepted the UN proposal for nuclear disarmament. Following this event, the Warsaw Pact was signed, and in August, in Geneva, the first UN conference on the peaceful use of atomic energy was held. However, a month later, U.S. delegate Harold Stassen announced that America no longer supported the UN plan calling for complete nuclear disarmament. In 1956, they United States elucidated its opposition to the nuclear disarmament plan, stating that atomic weapons were a "powerful deterrent to war".
In late November 1955 the first Soviet thermonuclear bomb was tested when it was dropped in Kazakhstan from an aircraft in test, with a force equal to 1.6 megatons (million tons) of TNT.
In December 1960 the Joint Strategic Target Planning staff completed SIOP 62. This war plan called for the launch of more that 3,000 nuclear weapons, including hundreds of hydrogen bombs, to attack 1,000 separate targets in the Communist bloc in the first few hours of conflict.
On October 10, 1963 The Limited Nuclear Test Ban Treaty went into effect.
This is it below:
Article I
1. Each of the Parties to this Treaty undertakes to prohibit, to prevent, and not to carry out any nuclear weapon test explosion, or any other nuclear explosion, at any place under its jurisdiction or control:
(a) in the atmosphere; beyond its limits, including outer space; or under water, including territorial waters or high seas; or
(b) in any other environment if such explosion causes radioactive debris to be present outside the territorial limits of the State under whose jurisdiction or control such explosion is conducted. It is understood in this connection that the provisions of this subparagraph are without prejudice to the conclusion of a Treaty resulting in the permanent banning of all nuclear test explosions, including all such explosions underground, the conclusion of which, as the Parties have stated in the Preamble to this Treaty, they seek to achieve.
2. Each of the Parties to this Treaty undertakes furthermore to refrain from causing, encouraging, or in any way participating in, the carrying out of any nuclear weapon test explosion, or any other nuclear explosion, anywhere which would take place in any of the environments described, or have the effect referred to, in paragraph 1 of this Article.
Article II
1. Any Party may propose amendments to this Treaty. The text of any proposed amendment shall be submitted to the Depositary Governments which shall circulate it to all Parties to this Treaty. Thereafter, if requested to do so by one-third or more of the Parties, the Depositary Governments shall convene a conference, to which they shall invite all the Parties, to consider such amendment.
2. Any amendment to this Treaty must be approved by a majority of the votes of all the Parties to this Treaty, including the votes of all of the Original Parties. The amendment shall enter into force for all Parties upon the deposit of instruments of ratification by a majority of all the Parties, including the instruments of ratification of all of the Original Parties.
Article III
1. This Treaty shall be open to all States for signature. Any State which does not sign this Treaty before its entry into force in accordance with paragraph 3 of this Article may accede to it at any time.
2. This Treaty shall be subject to ratification by signatory States. Instruments of ratification and instruments of accession shall be deposited with the Governments of the Original Parties-- the United States of America, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics --which are hereby designated the Depositary Governments.
3. This Treaty shall enter into force after its ratification by all the Original Parties and the deposit of their instruments of ratification.
4. For States whose instruments of ratification or accession are deposited subsequent to the entry into force of this Treaty, it shall enter into force on the date of the deposit of their instruments of ratification or accession.
5. The Depositary Governments shall promptly inform all signatory and acceding States of the date of each signature, the date of deposit of each instrument of ratification of and accession to this Treaty, the date of its entry into force, and the date of receipt of any requests for conferences or other notices.
6. This Treaty shall be registered by the Depositary Governments pursuant to Article 102 of the Charter of the United Nations.
Article IV
This Treaty shall be of unlimited duration.
Each Party shall in exercising its national sovereignty have the right to withdraw from the Treaty if it decides that extraordinary events, related to the subject matter of this Treaty, have jeopardized the supreme interests of its country. It shall give notice of such withdrawal to all other Parties to the Treaty three months in advance.
Article V
This Treaty, of which the English and Russian texts are equally authentic, shall be deposited in the archives of the Depositary Governments. Duly certified copies of this Treaty shall be transmitted by the Depositary Governments to the Governments of the signatory and acceding States.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF the undersigned, duly authorized, have signed this Treaty.
DONE in triplicate at the city of Moscow the fifth day of August, one thousand nine hundred and sixty-three.
For the Government of the United States of America
DEAN RUSK
For the Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
SIR DOUGLAS HOME
For the Government of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics
A. GROMYKO
