JFK’s Nuclear Proliferation Warnings: Up to 25 Countries With Nuclear Weapons
May 10, 2012

Authored by Lt. General (USA, Ret.) Robert G. Gard, Jr.

On 21 March 1963, at what was then called a “news conference,” President Kennedy said that he was “haunted by the feeling that by 1970 … there may be ten nuclear powers instead of four, and by 1975 fifteen or twenty;” and in a subsequent response, he extended the estimate: “I can see the possibility in the 1970s … of a world in which 15 or 20 or 25 nations may have these [nuclear] weapons. I regard that as the greatest possible danger and hazard.”

These comments were made in the context of President Kennedy’s support for a ban on the testing of nuclear weapons. In addition to his concern over the dangers of radioactive fallout, Kennedy believed that such a ban would prevent other countries from obtaining nuclear weapons. He had advocated a cessation of nuclear weapons testing since 1956, and had taken a strong stand on the issue during the 1960 presidential campaign; and following his election, he had pledged that the U.S. would not resume nuclear testing in the atmosphere.

Following more than eight years of sporadic negotiations, the Soviet Union, the United Kingdom and the United States on 5 August 1963 signed the Limited Nuclear Test Ban Treaty, which prohibited the testing of nuclear weapons in the atmosphere, in space and under water. In deference to the Soviet Union’s adamant opposition to on-site inspections, underground testing was permitted so long as fallout would be confined to the geographic limits of the country conducting the test. The Senate approved the Treaty 80-19 on 23 September, and President Kennedy signed the ratification on 7 October, the month before he was assassinated on 22 November 1963.

Obama urges North Korea and Iran to drop nuclear programs: What We're Reading Now
Mar 26, 2012

North Korea

Obama urges North Korea and Iran to drop nuclear programs
Kathleen Hennessey, Los Angeles Times - March 26, 2012
President Obama on Monday made a direct appeal to the leaders of North Korea and Iran, urging them to "have the courage" to step away from their nuclear weapons programs, rather than follow a path toward greater isolation and economic distress.

Obama Urges China to Restrain North Korea
Mark Landler, New York Times - March 26, 2012
President Obama took North Korea’s new leader, Kim Jong-un, to task on Monday, urging China to curb his recent behavior and declaring that the successes of South Korea will inevitably swamp the isolation and failure of the North, a White House adviser said.

Obama Warns N. Korea Against Rocket Launch
Daniel Politi, Slate Magazine (Blog) - March 25, 2012
If Pyongyang decides to go ahead with its plan to launch a satellite using a long-range missile next month, it would jeopardize a food aid deal signed in February, warned Obama. “North Korea needs to understand that bad behavior will not be rewarded,” Obama said during an evening news conference with South Korean President Lee Myung-bak.

South Korea warns it might shoot down North Korean rocket if it strays into territory
Associated Press - March 25, 2012
Seoul warned Monday that it might shoot down parts of a North Korean rocket that violate South Korean territory, as worries about what Washington calls a long-range missile test overshadowed an international nuclear security summit.

Feinstein statement on nuclear budget
Mar 22, 2012

Snippets from Opening Statement
Chairman Dianne Feinstein
Department of Energy Budget Hearing
National Nuclear Security Administration Fiscal Year 2013 Budget Request
March 21, 2012

Regarding nuclear weapons activities, I believe the fiscal year 2013 budget request provides more than sufficient funding to modernize the nuclear weapons stockpile.  Some of my Senate and House colleagues have raised concerns that the budget request falls short and more funding is needed.

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I am concerned about NNSA’s inability to contain the costs of major projects, such as life extension programs and the construction of new facilities.  

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NNSA has just terminated or delayed 2 major construction projects after spending $1.5 billion only to conclude that it could use existing facilities to meet mission requirements.

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I am concerned about funding shortfalls for nonproliferation activities, which address the highest risk to the United States—nuclear terrorism.

Ideology Trumps Nuclear Weapons Security in New GOP Budget
Feb 15, 2011

The proposed House Republican budget for Fiscal Year 2011 that the House will begin considering today dramatically undercuts the fight against nuclear terrorism.

The House Appropriations Committee last week recommended $2.085 billion for "Defense Nuclear Proliferation" in the National Nuclear Security Agency, a whopping cut of $602 million, or 22% from programs that keep nuclear weapon materials out of the hands of terrorists.

These funds are used to reduce the global threat posed by nuclear weapons, nuclear proliferation and unsecure nuclear materials.

The programs funded by this budget are a highly successful effort thus far in keeping nuclear weapons materials away from terrorists that has heretofore enjoyed bipartisan support.

Clinton Gives Non-Proliferation Speech
Oct 22, 2009

In a major speech yesterday, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton spoke forcefully about the need to reduce nuclear weapons and to ratify the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty. “We can’t afford to continue relying on recycled Cold War thinking,” Clinton stated. “And the nuclear status quo is neither desirable nor sustainable.”

Clinton reiterated President Obama’s pledge to negotiate a treaty reducing U.S. and Russian nuclear arsenals, ratify the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty, and secure nuclear materials that terrorists could use to make a nuclear bomb, while confronting countries like Iran and North Korea that wish to develop their own nuclear arsenals.

As Clinton put it, “Pursuing these goals is not an act of starry-eyed idealism or blind allegiance to principle. It is about taking responsibility to prevent the use of the world’s most dangerous weapons, and holding others accountable as well.”

U.S.-India Nuclear Deal Passes
Oct 02, 2008

With 26 more votes than necessary for passage – 86 yeas to 13 nays – the Senate passed the U.S.-India Nuclear Deal yesterday, overcoming the deal's only legislative obstacle left after the House passed the deal on September 27.

Click here to find out how your representatives voted

Now, after a more than thirty year ban on nuclear trade imposed on India for conducting illicit nuclear tests, the deal heads to the President's desk for signature, an event that seemed highly unlikely just months ago.

As a result of the deal, civilian nuclear trade between India and the United States will open. India will receive U.S. technology and nuclear energy, and will allow U.N. inspectors to inspect those civilian nuclear facilities. Nuclear weapons facilities will not be opened for inspection, one of the many remaining serious concerns.

In order to pass the agreement before adjournment, Congress was pressured into foregoing the required 30-day review period. In a matter of days, the United States approved a deal that undercuts decades of work by the global non-proliferation efforts, and even by Congress itself.

The passage is being widely touted as a much-needed foreign policy victory for the Bush administration before it leaves office in January.

More after the jump, including the citations of Council experts in Congressional testimony.