UNITED STATES FOREIGN POLICY ON NUCLEAR ENERGY Ellen C. Collier, THE LIBRARY OF CONGRESS LEGISLATIVE REFERENCE SERVICE Washington D.C. UNITED STATES FOREIGN POLICY ON NUCLEAR ENERGY Summary There have been two main periods in United States international atomic policy. In both the United States aimed at preventing the spread of nuclear weapons to additional countries and bringing about the international control of nuclear weapons. However, in each a different approach was used. During the first period, from 1945 until the end of 1953, spreading any technology concerning nuclear energy, even the peaceful applications, was discouraged. International policy was directed toward securing adoption of the Baruch plan, a plan for the international control of atomic weapons and all the principal aspects of atomic energy development. The second period was ushered in by the "Atomic Power for Peace" speech of President Eisenhower to the United Nations General Assembly on December 8, 1953. By that time the Soviet Union and the United Kingdom each had nuclear weapons and other countries such as France and Canada had substantial atomic energy programs. It was clear that other countries would independently, without United States assistance, be capable of national nuclear programs. By that time it was also clear that Soviet disagreement with the prior United States program for international control of atomic energy would prevent its adoption. The feasibility of the plan had also been reduced by the fact that there had been enough time for nuclear weapons to have been placed in hidden stockpiles and that there was no way to detect such hidden stockpiles. American The new approach, still being followed, was to promote the worldwide peaceful use of atomic energy simultaneously with establishing safeguards to assure that nuclear materials and facilities claimed to be for peaceful purposes were not diverted to military uses. efforts were directed toward stimulating other countries to learn about peaceful atomic applications and apply them, and toward directing atomic materials from military to peaceful uses. Under United States leadership, the International Atomic Energy Agency was established to serve as the focus of efforts to promote and safeguard the use of nuclear energy for peaceful purposes. In the interim until the international agency became effective, the United States began a similar program under bilateral agreements which is being continued at the present time. It also encouraged the development of regional cooperation in the use of atomic energy. The policy of the United States regarding the military use of nuclear weapons and the efforts which have been made by the United States in disarmament negotiations to bring about the control of nuclear weapons have not been covered in this report. However, it might be pointed out that in addition to the policy of encouraging safeguards on peaceful nuclear activities throughout the world to ensure that they were not converted to military use, the United States has worked for gradually bringing nuclear weapons under international control |