An Analysis Of The Nixon Administration's Policy Of Banning Nuclear Tests

Since the first nuclear weapon exploded,mankind has entered the "nuclear age".The advent of the "nuclear age" has profoundly affected the global cold war,the security of the international community,the evolution of international relations and the formulation of national security policies.Nuclear testing is a necessary means to research and develop nuclear weapons and to maintain the effectiveness of nuclear arsenals.As the world's main nuclear country,America has carried on the massive nuclear test,although has made more and more advanced nuclear weapons,but a lot of nuclear radioactive fallout harm to human health and the environment,deepening the crisis of the confrontation between the cold war and people's psychological panic,induce the worldwide campaign against nuclear test.The wave of opposition to nuclear testing has led to a long process of banning nuclear testing.This thesis,by making use of United States government publications,declassified archives and relevant research results,attempts to examine the factors of the Nixon administration's nuclear test ban policy as a whole,probe into the formation process of this policy,and reveal the implementation mode and influence of the nuclear test ban policy.Since the comprehensive nuclear test ban treaty has not yet come into force,it is helpful to clarify the development track of the nuclear test ban policy of the Nixon administration,and to explore the motivation of the nuclear test ban decision of the Nixon administration,so as to understand the dilemma that the nuclear test ban policy has not yet been successful.This thesis tries to explain the following problems on the basis of combing the materials.First,influenced by the attitude of the Nixon administration towards nuclear tests,how Nixon dealt with the international community's demand for a ban on nuclear tests.Second,although the United States and the Soviet Union accused each other of violating the provisions of the partial nuclear test ban treaty by conducting nuclear tests,the two countries ignored the demands of the international community for a complete nuclear test ban.Third,because of the domestic presidential election competition and the progress of the US-Soviet detente,the nuclear test ban has not only become the focus of domestic concern,but also become one of the themes of the US-Soviet arms control negotiations.After Kissinger's visit to the Soviet Union,the US-Soviet expert group talks and the US-Soviet summit,the US-Soviet finally reached the treaty on the limitation of underground nuclear weapon tests,and how to understand the significance of the treaty.