History of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT)
In 1946, Congress had passed the Atomic Energy Act, which determined that the US nuclear technology was to be kept secret from other states. In 1953 when Eisenhower made his "Atoms for Peace" speech to the UN, which argued for non-violent nuclear technology and nuclear energy. After Eisenhower, the US Atomic Energy Act was amended to allow the peaceful spread of nuclear technology, and many other nuclear states joined in the effort to spread nonviolent nuclear technology. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) was created to oversee the peaceful spread of nuclear technology.
In 1961, the UN general assembly came up with a consensus Irish resolution that stated that countries without nuclear weapons cannot engage in the spread of nuclear technology. Soon after, in the 1962 Disarmament Conference in Geneva, the US proposed a simple treaty draft of what would eventually be the NPT to the Soviets, resulting in talks and negotiations. In the course of the negotiations, both the Soviets, and the Americans had to make concesssions to sign the treaty. For instance, the US had to give up its dream of a nuclear NATO. One further problem is that the NPT was severely limiting the non-nuclear states that joined, as they were forced to abandon all dreams of becoming nuclear. Thus, negotiations began with many important non-nuclear states, and the nuclear states were forced to make concessions to further the treaty.
However, due to political complexities, several states refused to join. For instance, India refused to sign the treaty despite participating in negotiations because of fears that China would obtain nuclear weapons (which they later did), and Pakistan refused to join because India did not. Israel did not join either, and both France and China who would develop these nuclear weapons before the talks ended, refrained participating in the negotiations but signed later as nuclear states.
In 1968, signing began, and the treaty went into force in 1970 and was originally given a lifetime of 25 years. However, during this time there were still negotiations that were underway concerning the operation and power of the IAEA in terms of this treaty, and many did not ratify the treaty until all of their expectations were met. Every five years, the parties of the treaty hold a conference to review the progress of the treaty, and in the 1995 conference, the original 25 year lifetime of the treaty was extended indefinitely.
In 1961, the UN general assembly came up with a consensus Irish resolution that stated that countries without nuclear weapons cannot engage in the spread of nuclear technology. Soon after, in the 1962 Disarmament Conference in Geneva, the US proposed a simple treaty draft of what would eventually be the NPT to the Soviets, resulting in talks and negotiations. In the course of the negotiations, both the Soviets, and the Americans had to make concesssions to sign the treaty. For instance, the US had to give up its dream of a nuclear NATO. One further problem is that the NPT was severely limiting the non-nuclear states that joined, as they were forced to abandon all dreams of becoming nuclear. Thus, negotiations began with many important non-nuclear states, and the nuclear states were forced to make concessions to further the treaty.
However, due to political complexities, several states refused to join. For instance, India refused to sign the treaty despite participating in negotiations because of fears that China would obtain nuclear weapons (which they later did), and Pakistan refused to join because India did not. Israel did not join either, and both France and China who would develop these nuclear weapons before the talks ended, refrained participating in the negotiations but signed later as nuclear states.
In 1968, signing began, and the treaty went into force in 1970 and was originally given a lifetime of 25 years. However, during this time there were still negotiations that were underway concerning the operation and power of the IAEA in terms of this treaty, and many did not ratify the treaty until all of their expectations were met. Every five years, the parties of the treaty hold a conference to review the progress of the treaty, and in the 1995 conference, the original 25 year lifetime of the treaty was extended indefinitely.
Problems in the NPT
Currently, there exists several problems to the NPT. One of these problem is the fact that many of the nuclear states have elected not to join the NPT these include India, Israel and Pakistan, as they have no reason to restrain themselves. In other cases, the support provided in nuclear energy technology can be used to secretly further nuclear weapons research. Due to the lack of authority given to the IAEA, non-nuclear states could evade inspections and develop weapons. This is what happened in Iraq, Iran, and North Korea. However, in light of this, the IAEA developed several sophisticated techniques in testing the environment for signs of nuclear activity, and with these techniques, they eventually detected the nuclear program of North Korea.
Due to Article X of the NPT, any country can sign into the NPT and any country can leave it so long as they give a month's warning. Thus it is possible for non-nuclear countries to obtain nuclear energy equipment and technology, then leave the NPT and develop their nuclear program. This is the case of North Korea which withdrew from the NPT in 2003. To ensure that any nuclear energy facility does not become a site for developing nuclear weapons, many have suggested that facilities should be multilaterally owned (owned by more than one country) as the the countries can check on each other to ensure that no one is in violation of the NPT. However, this is yet to be implemented.
Due to Article X of the NPT, any country can sign into the NPT and any country can leave it so long as they give a month's warning. Thus it is possible for non-nuclear countries to obtain nuclear energy equipment and technology, then leave the NPT and develop their nuclear program. This is the case of North Korea which withdrew from the NPT in 2003. To ensure that any nuclear energy facility does not become a site for developing nuclear weapons, many have suggested that facilities should be multilaterally owned (owned by more than one country) as the the countries can check on each other to ensure that no one is in violation of the NPT. However, this is yet to be implemented.
Historical Connection to "In the Lake of the Woods"
The year that the NPT was signed was the same year as the Tet Offensive in the Vietnam War. The Tet Offensive was an incredible embarrassment to President Johnson as it called into question the power of the US troops stationed there. Thus, looking for a way to improve his image, President Johnson likely signed the NPT as a result of the events of the Vietnam War that John was apart of.
Furthermore, it is likely that because of the NPT the conflict in Vietnam did not dissolve into a nuclear struggle, compared to the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962. As both the US and Russia, who were aiding opposing sides were engaged in talks of the NPT, they would have resolved not to give nuclear weapons to the non-nuclear Vietnam. This impacted the very nature of the war, thus impacting the experiences John felt in the war.
Furthermore, it is likely that because of the NPT the conflict in Vietnam did not dissolve into a nuclear struggle, compared to the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962. As both the US and Russia, who were aiding opposing sides were engaged in talks of the NPT, they would have resolved not to give nuclear weapons to the non-nuclear Vietnam. This impacted the very nature of the war, thus impacting the experiences John felt in the war.