NUCLEAR weapon

Nuclear weapons are the most destructive technology ever developed. From the day fission was discovered in 1938, the problem of controlling this technology has been of central importance to the human race. The world in which this discovery was made - convulsed by war, paranoia, and totalitarian cruelty - made the translation of theoretical possibility into actuality inevitable. The world has been fortunate in the extreme that their only role so far has been to close the worst chapter in the history of war, instead of opening a new one.

In the face of their terrible possibilities, the question "What is to be done?" will never leave us. How can we prevent their use? How can we keep them from evil men? Can we hope to eliminate them entirely? Although these are really questions about human institutions, they cannot be answered without a deep understanding of what nuclear weapons are, and aren't.

The topic is complex and technical: steeped in physics, mathematics, and esoteric engineering. Born in war, the subject has been highly classified from the beginning making it even more inaccessible. Yet this complexity and secrecy has not prevented their acquisition by any nation with an industrial infrastructure advanced enough to build them, and a matching desire. The obstacle to would-be members to the nuclear club has not been discovering how they work, but simply obtaining the tools and materials to make them.

During the Cold War immense empires devoted to the development, manufacture, and potential use of these weapons developed in the United States and Soviet Union. Although motivated by the natural desire for self-protection, much that occurred within these secret enclaves was less than noble. Political posturing, personal ambition, profiteering, and plain carelessness all had their role in deciding the expenditure of staggering amounts of public funds, the exposure of millions of people to risk and injury, and the creation of products and by-products that will burden future generations. Secrecy has been used as a screen from accountability, a tool for personal advancement, and an insider's weapon against challenges as often as a genuine means for protecting national security