PeaceSite/The Development of Nuciear Weapons

The atomic bombs dropped on Japan by the United States during World War II displayed the might of nuclear weapons to the world. The Cold War that developed after the war intensified the nuclear arms race. The Soviet Union, United Kingdom, France and China all followed the US in carrying out successful nuclear tests, and nuclear weapons proliferated around the world. The nuclear arms race resulted in the manufacture and accumulation of more than enough weapons to destroy the environment and annihilate the human race. It destroyed the global environment through nuclear testing, and harmed many innocent victims in the vicinity of testing sites. With the nuclear tests conducted in May, 1998 by India and Pakistan, we face the dangerous possibility that the number of official nuclear powers will increase.

Nuclear DevelopmentwordE.html in the United States	1939	8.02.	Letter from Einstein.
	1939	10.21.	Establishes the Uranium Advisory Committee because of worries that Germany, which had plunged into World War II, might develop an atomic bomb first.
	1942	8.13.	Launches Manhattan Project under military leadership.
	1944	9.18.	Enters into Hyde Park Agreement.
	1945	7.16.	Carries out successful atomic bomb test in Alamogordo, New Mexico.
		8.06.	Drops atomic bomb on Hiroshima.
		8.09.	Drops atomic bomb on Nagasaki.
	1952	11.01.	Carries out successful hydrogen bomb test over the Eniwetok Atoll in the Marshall Islands.
	1997	7.03.	Conducts subcritical nuclear tests (15 tests by Dec. 2001; Russia announces it has been conducting similar tests.)
	2002	2.14.	US and UK conduct joint subcritical nuclear test

Nuclear Development by the former Soviet Union	1949	8.29.	Carries out successful atomic bomb test at the Semipalatinsk nuclear test site, ending the US nuclear monopoly.
Nuclear Development by the former Soviet Union	1953	8.12.	Carries out successful hydrogen bomb test.

Nuclear Development by United Kingdom	1940		Forms committee of scientists to study the possibility of producing an atomic bomb.
	1943		Participates in the US Manhattan Project.
	1946		Establishes atomic power research center and furthers its own atomic bomb development plan.
	1952	10.03.	Carries out successful atomic bomb test over Monte Bello Islands, Australia.
	1957	5.15.	Carries out successful hydrogen bomb test over Christmas Island.
	2002	2.14.	US and UK conduct joint subcritical nuclear test

Nuclear Development by France	1957		Threatened by the installation of Soviet nuclear missiles, begins nuclear development for security purposes under President De Gaulle.
	1960	2.13.	Carries out successful atomic bomb test in the Sahara Desert.
	1968	8.24.	Carries out successful hydrogen bomb test.
	1995	9.00.	Resumes testing in the South Pacific (6 tests by Jan. 1996)

Nuclear Development by China	1958		Begins operating nuclear reactor through cooperation with the Soviet Union.
	1959		fter cancellation of the China-Soviet agreement, begins independent nuclear development.
	1964	10.16.	Carries out successful atomic bomb test in western China.
	1996	6.00.	Hurries to conduct tests before the CTBT is adopted.
	1967	6.17.	Carries out successful hydrogen bomb test.

Nuclear Development by India	1974	5.18.	Successful test of a thermonuclear device (equivalent to a hydrogen bomb)
Nuclear Development by India	1998	5.11.	Successful A-bomb test in Pokaran Desert

Nuclear Development by Pakistan	1998	5.28.	Successful A-bomb test in the Chagai Hills