Leslie Medina

Stefany Alicea
Nashon Baptista
Demi Debarros

Topic: Nuclear Proliferation
Problem: After the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombing, all the countries with
enough money and resources began to build and test bombs so they wouldnt be
left behind in the new nuclear race.

Part 1:
The proliferation of nuclear weapons is a problem that continues to increase. The
creation of nuclear weapons was an issue that occurred because of World War II. The
United States created The Manhattan Project to create the nuclear bomb before
Germany. After years of hard work they headed on to develop the first atomic bomb.
The atomic bomb was to be dropped on Germany in hope of Hitler surrendering
and ending the Holocaust, but Hitler killed himself, ending the war before the U.S. had a
chance to drop the bomb. Earlier on, Japan baited the United States to join the war by
bombing Pearl Harbor.
With the tide changing and Germany surrendering the United States was keen to
stop losing the lives of Americans overseas. This led to the rushed decision of dropping
their first two atomic bombs on Japan. Although the bomb had been tested, and a
glimpse of its destructive power had been seen, it did not compare to what occurred in
Nagasaki and Hiroshima.
When the world saw the power these weapons brought, it added a whole new
level to the competition. Soon many countries began to be involved in this race and
started a mass production of nuclear weapons. In the beginning, there were
speculations that other countries, such as The Soviet Union, were creating nuclear
weapons. But, the U.S. was the first country to successfully make a bomb, giving them
a lead and a surge of power. This however didnt discourage other countries to make
and test their own atomic bombs. Lucky the knowledge that everyone had a nuclear
bomb, has prevented the use of them in war. Seeing the affects Japan had because of
the bomb has helped prevent another bomb being dropped.
Nations and civilians in different parts of the world are being affected because of
the increased interest in nuclear weapons. People in the United States were affected in
different ways: firstly, of the creation of the bombs itself, the testing of the bombs that
have been occurring, and lastly the fear that that they would experience the same fate
as Japan. People became so paranoid that school had regular tests where students
would hide under their tables to increase their protection from the bombs. (Fetter-Vorm)
Furthermore, Japan was the country that had the most effects from the nuclear
bombs. Japan was the first country to ever have a nuclear bomb dropped on them and
there was no one to help direct them into a safer path. The people living in surrounding
villages of the bombing site began to experience strange diseases. None of the scientist
in The Manhattan Project knew what to do; they were all so new to the topic. In reality
no one knew what to make of it. The U.S. knew thousands of people would die from the
bombing, but the deaths that soon followed astonished everyone. Japanese civilians
suffered from diseases such as cancer, miscarriages, and a strange new sickness
labeled as Disease X; all of which were due to the staggering amount of radiation the
bombs had let off (Fetter-Vorm). One of the main reasons why nuclear bombs need to
be decreased is to prevent people from suffering from radiation sickness. This problem
is one that needs to be taken seriously and be continuously worked on.

Part 2:
During this time of distress, many situations were taking place. Organizations
were being established, laws were being passed and leaders, politicians, and others
were trying to figure out what to do about this hugely unknown topic. The International
Atomic Energy Agency, created by Eisenhower who gave the speech Atoms for
Peace, tried to get the use of atomic energy to be used for peaceful purposes (Nuclear
Arms Race). They saw the dangers that clouded over the new nuclear era and wanted
to help set the nations into the right path.
Although the world had seen the aftermath of Hiroshima, the effects of fallout
were not on everyones mind. In a sense fallout is all around us. The bombs sent
radioactive particles all around the air we live in. Since so many bombs were tested,
large amounts of radiation have been sent into the air. After a few incidents where
civilians, living out of the testing zones for nuclear bombs, started suffering from
radiation sickness, more attention was brought to the subject; with this a spark of
interest in stopping the testing of bombs occurred. The National Test Ban Treaty was
created to prohibit countries from testing bombs in water or space (Letters to The
Times).
One of the most influential scientist, Einstein, was also behind this movement. He
had been working tirelessly to get all atomic bombs destroyed. He felt very strongly that
no nation should be trusted with so much power. Einstein, followed by other greatly
respected scientist set out to show people that these weapons are strong enough to
destroy the whole world (Nuclear Arms Race). In 1956 The Russell-Einstein statement
on banning nuclear weapons [was] released (Nuclear Timeline). With so many great
minds at work this group was arguably the most influential, it definitely helped shine a
light on this vague topic.
In this point in time where distrust and paranoia were common between The US
and The USSR, the Cuban Missile Crisis was the effect of walking on thin ice for years.
President JFK wanted to assure the safety of Americans and in doing so was put in a
tough situation. Our largest competitor, the Soviet Union, was sending missiles to
Cubas shorefront. The US decided to place a Naval Blockade around Cuba, to prevent
The Soviet Union from sending missiles to Cuba. Khrushchev proposed that he would
remove them if the US held back on attacking Cuba, pushing the world into a possible
nuclear war. After this event, we are able to breathe a little easier due to the
reassurance that we can work out situations rather than turn to nuclear bombs.
Luckily its been years later and still we have not been attacked. But another
factor of this age is that more countries are beginning to build their own nuclear
weapons. The U.K had tested its first hydrogen bomb in May 1957 off the coast of
Australia. And soon after, France and China joined in on the fun. During this time the
people were outraged and protest broke out. In the Easter of 1962, 100,000 people
attended the rally at the end of the Aldermaston march (Nuclear Timeline). The people
were outraged and wanted to show their opinions on the topic. These marches were
usually on Easter weekends in England and were attended by people who were against
the proliferation of nuclear bombs (Aldermaston Marches). These protests are a clear
example of how the growing amounts of bombs is affecting the people. People will not
be in peace or feel safe until nuclear bombs are no longer made.

Part 3:
These strategies had a few glitches that needed to be worked out. For instance,
the Atomic Energy Agency wasn't prepared for The Soviet Union to refuse giving up
their fissile material. The only way The Soviet Union would give up their fissile material
was if the U.S agreed to not invade Cuba. This was a difficult decision because Cuba is
a communist country, and its right near the U.S. Whether Cubas intention were to aim
their weapons towards the U.S was still a mystery (Staff).
On the other hand, the Naval Blockade may have stopped countries from
sending weapons to Cuba, but it hadn't crossed their minds that Cuba wasn't the only
country receiving weapons from other countries. The U.S being overly fixated on Cuba
left the other countries with the opportunity to manufacture more nuclear weapons
without the stress of the U.S getting involved (Staff).
The National Test Ban Treaty had not expected France to continue the testing of
nuclear bombs. It was because of France refusing that other countries refused as well.
Their logistics were, if France doesnt have to stop nuclear testing then why should they.
This caused the treaty to turn into a huge failure. The treaty became worthless (Letters
to The Times)
Even Einstein trying to bring awareness to the dangers of nuclear weapons didnt
decrease the number of nuclear weapons that were being manufactured. Countries felt
the need for nuclear weapons. Einstein realized that the dangers of nuclear weapons in
nations would only drive the world further from peace. His words proved to be
insignificant in the end. Throughout, these organization helped lessen the effect of the
nuclear age (Nuclear Arms Race).

If we look at all the mistakes that were made, it takes away from everything we
achieved during this time. Various strategies were created to help address the problem
of the abundance of atomic bombs. The Atomic Energy Agency is an international
organization that worked to have nuclear energy used for peaceful purposes. With this
organization, the military could not use nuclear bombs in war, because they wouldnt be
using nuclear energy for peaceful purposes. The organization helped keep people safe
from the destruction of a nuclear bomb. The Atomic Energy Agency has helped people
feel safe because they know that a bomb wont be dropped on their country.
The National Test Ban Treaty was an enforced policy to stop the testing of atomic
bombs. A few years after Japan, scientist began to realize that when bombs were tested
the radiation lingered around the area causing "mysterious" diseases. The treaty ban
helped reduce the amount of radiation that was released in the air. It limited it because
the treaty enforced where it was safe from the bombs to be tested by telling countries
they couldnt test above ground, it wouldnt affect the people living near the area as
much.
Albert Einstein became very involved in trying to stop the use of the bombs. He
wrote various essays about how the bombs should be banned. Since he was a
respected scientist, many people cared about what he thought. He brought awareness
to the topic. By having one of the most influential scientist at the time raising awareness
on the topic it showed the countries how serious the problem was (Nuclear Arms Race).
The Soviet Union was actively testing and making nuclear weapons. They
distributed weapons to Cuba which caused America to build a naval blockade around
Cuba so that the Soviet Union would no longer be able to transport the weapons to
Cuba. All of these strategies were thought of so people would feel safe in their
communities (Staff).
In the end, countless people were affected in different ways due to nuclear
bombs. New problems arose and with them solutions to address them. It goes to show
that tough times are where the birth of great leaders and new ideas happen. Although
we suffered during this time we persevered and are working towards a day where peace
is present all around.

Works Cited
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Campaign for Nuclear Disarmanment. n.d. WEB. 13 May 2014.
Energy, United States Department of. "Atmospheric Nuclear Weapons Testing 1951-1963." Fehner,
Terrence R. and F. G. Gosling. Atmospheric Nuclear Weapons Testing 1951-1963. 2006. 120-130.
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Fetter-Vorm, Jonathan. "Trinity." Fetter-Vorm, Jonathan. Trinity. New York: Hill and Wang, 2012. 134-
149. Book.
"Letters to The Times." The New York Times 8 May 1861. WEB. 10 May 2014.
Njlstad, Olav. NobelPrize.org. 19 June 2003. WEB. 10 May 2014. <nobelprize.org>.
Office of the Historians. 31 October 2013. WEB. 10 May 2014. <history.state.gov>.
Staff, findingDulcinea. finding dulcinea. 14 October 2011. WEB. 10 May 2014.
"Text of U.S. Lettes to U.N. on Nuclear Weapons." The New York Times 15 March 1962. WEB. 10 May
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UNODA. n.d. WEB. 10 May 2014. <un.org>.
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