Cessation of Nuclear-Weapon tests

Efforts aimed at the complete cessation of nuclear-weapon tests, prompted initially by political and military considerations, but also by anxiety about the possible effects of radioactive fall-out from such tests, have been pursued since 1957 as an independent item on the nuclear disarmament agenda. A first step towards this objective was taken with the conclusion in 1963 of the Treaty Banning Nuclear Weapon Tests in the Atmosphere, in Outer Space and under Water, often referred to as the partial test-ban Treaty. In the preamble, the original parties, the Soviet Union, the United Kingdom and the United States, stated that they sought to achieve “the discontinuance of all test explosions of nuclear weapons for all time” and expressed their determination to continue negotiations to that end. By the end of 1987, the Treaty had 115 parties. Two nuclear-weapon States, China and France, are not among the parties, but, since 1980 and 1974 respectively, they have in fact conducted only underground tests. In 1986, China stated formally that it would not conduct atmospheric tests in the future.

Related Subject(s): Disarmament