The Ethical Problems with Nuclear Testing

Part II

• I. Brief History of Nuclear Testing

  • A. The tests before the bomb was used in war were necessary.
    • 1. Scientific knowledge of what would actually happen was weak.
    • 2. The scientists should not send fighter planes into battle without confirming that their weapons worked.
  • B. After the Bomb, before the moratorium
    • 1. The U.S. tested above ground until 1963 when the partial test ban treaty was signed.
    • 2. The AEC told citizens that the fallout would not hurt them. This has been shown to be in error.
  • C. After the 1963 Moratorium
    • 1. Underground tests increased in number.
    • 2. Approximately 800 nuclear explosions took place after the partial test ban in the U.S.
    • 3. Lyndon Johnson signed a treaty barring tests in outer space.
    • 4. The Non-Proliferation agreement was signed in 1968 France and China refused to sign.
    • 5. Under Nixon's administration, tests above 150 Kilotons were banned.
    
    

  • II. Present Day Agreements

    • A. President Clinton has announced support for a zero-yield treaty to take effect next September.
    • B. France is expected to sign, but they want to finish their current tests first.
    
    

  • III. Ethical Problems with the past and present

    • A. Eisenhower had personal reservations against nuclear testing, but because his presidential campaign was criticized for the testing durring his administration, he was forced to support publically the idea. He should not have done this.
    • B. Activist groups pointed out that people, especially unknowing American people, should not be made unsuspecting guinea pigs. One slogan was "contaminiation without representation."
    • C. The H-bombs were larger than first expected and dirty. We should not have continued to devolope them, and we especially should not have tested them in the U.S. or in the Bakini islands.
    • D. There was rising scientific evidence that tests are unsafe that went largely ignored by the AEC. They tried to reassure people that the fallout was safe, instead of warning them of the possible dangers of living downwind of nuclear tests.
    • E. Many people developed cancer as a result of the radiation. This includes the workers at the underground test sites and the citizens living downwind. The U.S. government refused to acknowledge its role, and for a long time would not pay victims compensation. Now, possible wrongdoing has been admitted, but many victims who filed claims have not been paid.
    
    

  • IV. Possible Resolutions

    • A. Nuclear testing should stop now. There is no need to continue testing. Several methods are available to ensure the safty and quality of existing stock.
      • 1. Hydrodynamic Tests
      • 2. Inertial confinement fusion.
      • 3. Computer simulation - perhaps the best and safest option. The United States has pledged to aid France by sharing our technology so that France may "maintain a safe and reliable nuclear arsenal." (1)
    • B. A comperhensive test ban is expected to be signed September 30, 1996 by most nations including the US, France, and other nuclear nations. This treaty must be honored.
    • C. Any new tests must be dected. I will speak about some of the technical details in class.