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DwightD. Eisenhower
AtomsforPeace

Delivered8December1953,UnitedNationsGeneralAssembly,NewYork

AUTHENTICITYCERTIFIED:Textversionbelowtranscribeddirectlyfromaudio

MadamPresident,MembersoftheGeneralAssembly: WhenSecretaryGeneralHammarskjoldsinvitationtoaddressthisGeneralAssemblyreached meinBermuda,IwasjustbeginningaseriesofconferenceswiththePrimeMinistersand ForeignMinistersofGreatBritainandofFrance.Oursubjectwassomeoftheproblemsthat besetourworld. DuringtheremainderoftheBermudaConference,Ihadconstantlyinmindthataheadofme layagreathonor.Thathonorisminetoday,asIstandhere,privilegedtoaddresstheGeneral AssemblyoftheUnitedNations. AtthesametimethatIappreciatethedistinctionofaddressingyou,Ihaveasenseof exhilarationasIlookuponthisAssembly.Neverbeforeinhistoryhassomuchhopeforso manypeoplebeengatheredtogetherinasingleorganization.Yourdeliberationsanddecisions duringthesesomberyearshavealreadyrealizedpartofthosehopes. Butthegreattestsandthegreataccomplishmentsstilllieahead.Andintheconfident expectationofthoseaccomplishments,Iwouldusetheofficewhich,forthetimebeing,Ihold, toassureyouthattheGovernmentoftheUnitedStateswillremainsteadfastinitssupportof thisbody.Thisweshalldointheconvictionthatyouwillprovideagreatshareofthewisdom, ofthecourage,andthefaithwhichcanbringtothisworldlastingpeaceforallnations,and happinessandwellbeingforallmen.

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Clearly,itwouldnotbefittingformetotakethisoccasiontopresenttoyouaunilateral AmericanreportonBermuda.Nevertheless,Iassureyouthatinourdeliberationsonthat lovelyislandwesoughttoinvokethosesamegreatconceptsofuniversalpeaceandhuman dignitywhicharesocleanlyetchedinyourCharter.Neitherwoulditbeameasureofthis greatopportunitymerelytorecite,howeverhopefully,piousplatitudes. Ithereforedecidedthatthisoccasionwarrantedmysayingtoyousomeofthethingsthat havebeenonthemindsandheartsofmylegislativeandexecutiveassociates,andonmine, foragreatmanymonthsthoughtsIhadoriginallyplannedtosayprimarilytotheAmerican people. IknowthattheAmericanpeoplesharemydeepbeliefthatifadangerexistsintheworld,itis adangersharedbyallandequally,thatifhopeexistsinthemindofonenation,thathope shouldbesharedbyall. Finally,ifthereistobeadvancedanyproposaldesignedtoeaseevenbythesmallest measurethetensionsoftodaysworld,whatmoreappropriateaudiencecouldtherebethan themembersoftheGeneralAssemblyoftheUnitedNations.Ifeelimpelledtospeaktodayin alanguagethatinasenseisnew,onewhichI,whohavespentsomuchofmylifeinthe militaryprofession,wouldhavepreferrednevertouse.Thatnewlanguageisthelanguageof atomicwarfare. Theatomicagehasmovedforwardatsuchapacethateverycitizenoftheworldshouldhave somecomprehension,atleastincomparativeterms,oftheextentofthisdevelopment,ofthe utmostsignificancetoeveryoneofus.Clearly,ifthepeoplesoftheworldaretoconductan intelligentsearchforpeace,theymustbearmedwiththesignificantfactsoftodays existence. MyrecitalofatomicdangerandpowerisnecessarilystatedinUnitedStatesterms,forthese aretheonlyincontrovertiblefactsthatIknow.IneedhardlypointouttothisAssembly, however,thatthissubjectisglobal,notmerelynationalincharacter. OnJuly16,1945,theUnitedStatessetofftheworldsfirstatomicexplosion. Sincethatdatein1945,theUnitedStatesofAmericahasconductedfortytwotestexplosions. Atomicbombstodayaremorethantwentyfivetimesaspowerfulastheweaponswithwhich theatomicagedawned,whilehydrogenweaponsareintherangesofmillionsoftonsofTNT equivalent. Today,theUnitedStatesstockpileofatomicweapons,which,ofcourse,increasesdaily, exceedsbymanytimesthetotal[explosive]equivalentofthetotalofallbombsandallshells thatcamefromeveryplaneandeverygunineverytheatreofwarinalltheyearsofWorld WarII.

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Asingleairgroup,whetherafloatorlandbased,cannowdelivertoanyreachabletargeta destructivecargoexceedinginpowerallthebombsthatfellonBritaininallofWorldWarII. Insizeandvariety,thedevelopmentofatomicweaponshasbeennolessremarkable.The developmenthasbeensuchthatatomicweaponshavevirtuallyachievedconventionalstatus withinourarmedservices. IntheUnitedStates,theArmy,theNavy,theAirForce,andtheMarineCorpsareallcapable ofputtingthisweapontomilitaryuse.Butthedreadsecretandthefearfulenginesofatomic mightarenotoursalone. Inthefirstplace,thesecretispossessedbyourfriendsandallies,GreatBritainandCanada, whosescientificgeniusmadeatremendouscontributiontoouroriginaldiscoveriesandthe designsofatomicbombs. ThesecretisalsoknownbytheSovietUnion. TheSovietUnionhasinformedusthat,overrecentyears,ithasdevotedextensiveresources toatomicweapons.DuringthisperiodtheSovietUnionhasexplodedaseriesofatomic devices,includingatleastoneinvolvingthermonuclearreactions.IfatonetimetheUnites Statespossessedwhatmighthavebeencalledamonopolyofatomicpower,thatmonopoly ceasedtoexistseveralyearsago. Therefore,althoughourearlierstarthaspermittedustoaccumulatewhatistodayagreat quantitativeadvantage,theatomicrealitiesoftodaycomprehendtwofactsofevengreater significance. First,theknowledgenowpossessedbyseveralnationswilleventuallybesharedbyothers, possiblyallothers. Second,evenavastsuperiorityinnumbersofweapons,andaconsequentcapabilityof devastatingretaliation,isnopreventive,ofitself,againstthefearfulmaterialdamageandtoll ofhumanlivesthatwouldbeinflictedbysurpriseaggression.Thefreeworld,atleastdimly awareofthesefacts,hasnaturallyembarkedonalargeprogramofwarninganddefense systems.Thatprogramwillbeacceleratedandexpanded.Butletnoonethinkthatthe expenditureofvastsumsforweaponsandsystemsofdefensecanguaranteeabsolutesafety forthecitiesandcitizensofanynation.Theawfularithmeticoftheatomicbombdoesnot permitofanysucheasysolution.Evenagainstthemostpowerfuldefense,anaggressorin possessionoftheeffectiveminimumnumberofatomicbombsforasurpriseattackcould probablyplaceasufficientnumberofhisbombsonthechosentargetstocausehideous damage.

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ShouldsuchanatomicattackbelaunchedagainsttheUnitedStates,ourreactionswouldbe swiftandresolute.ButformetosaythatthedefensecapabilitiesoftheUnitedStatesare suchthattheycouldinflictterriblelossesuponanaggressor,formetosaythattheretaliation capabilitiesoftheUnitesStatesaresogreatthatsuchanaggressorslandwouldbelaid waste,allthis,whilefact,isnotthetrueexpressionofthepurposeandthehopeoftheUnited States. Topausetherewouldbetoconfirmthehopelessfinalityofabeliefthattwoatomiccolossiare doomedmalevolentlytoeyeeachotherindefinitelyacrossatremblingworld.Tostopthere wouldbetoaccepthopehelplesslytheprobabilityofcivilizationdestroyed,theannihilation oftheirreplaceableheritageofmankindhandeddowntousegenerationfromgeneration,and thecondemnationofmankindtobeginalloveragaintheageoldstruggleupwardfrom savagerytowarddecency,andright,andjustice.Surelynosanememberofthehumanrace coulddiscovervictoryinsuchdesolation. Couldanyonewishhisnametobecoupledbyhistorywithsuchhumandegradationand destruction?Occasionalpagesofhistorydorecordthefacesofthegreatdestroyers,butthe wholebookofhistoryrevealsmankindsneverendingquestforpeaceandmankindsGod givencapacitytobuild. Itiswiththebookofhistory,andnotwithisolatedpages,thattheUnitedStateswillever wishtobeidentified.Mycountrywantstobeconstructive,notdestructive.Itwants agreements,notwars,amongnations.Itwantsitselftoliveinfreedomandintheconfidence thatthepeopleofeveryothernationenjoyequallytherightofchoosingtheirownwayoflife. Somycountryspurposeistohelpusmoveoutofthedarkchamberofhorrorsintothelight, tofindawaybywhichthemindsofmen,thehopesofmen,thesoulsofmeneverywhere, canmoveforwardtowardpeaceandhappinessandwellbeing. Inthisquest,Iknowthatwemustnotlackpatience.Iknowthatinaworlddivided,suchas ourstoday,salvationcannotbeattainedbyonedramaticact. Iknowthatmanystepswill havetobetakenovermanymonthsbeforetheworldcanlookatitselfonedayandtruly realizethatanewclimateofmutuallypeacefulconfidenceisabroadintheworld.ButIknow, aboveallelse,thatwemuststarttotakethesestepsnow. TheUnitedStatesanditsallies,GreatBritainandFrance,have,overthepastmonths,triedto takesomeofthesesteps.Letnoonesaythatweshuntheconferencetable.Ontherecord haslongstoodtherequestoftheUnitedStates,GreatBritain,andFrancetonegotiatewith theSovietUniontheproblemsofadividedGermany.Onthatrecordhaslongstoodthe requestofthesamethreenationstonegotiateanAustrianpeacetreaty.Onthesamerecord stillstandstherequestoftheUnitedNationstonegotiatetheproblemsofKorea.

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MostrecentlywehavereceivedfromtheSovietUnionwhatisineffectanexpressionof willingnesstoholdafourPowermeeting.Alongwithourallies,GreatBritainandFrance,we werepleasedtoseethathisnotedidnotcontaintheunacceptablepreconditionspreviously putforward.AsyoualreadyknowfromourjointBermudacommuniqu,theUnitedStates, GreatBritain,andFrancehaveagreedpromptlytomeetwiththeSovietUnion. TheGovernmentoftheUnitedStatesapproachesthisconferencewithhopefulsincerity.We willbendeveryeffortofourmindstothesinglepurposeofemergingfromthatconference withtangibleresultstowardspeace,theonlytruewayoflesseninginternationaltension.We neverhave,weneverwill,proposeorsuggestthattheSovietUnionsurrenderwhatis rightfullytheirs.WewillneversaythatthepeopleofRussiaareanenemywithwhomwehave nodesireevertodealormingleinfriendlyandfruitfulrelationship. Onthecontrary,wehopethatthiscomingconferencemayinitiatearelationshipwiththe SovietUnionwhichwilleventuallybringaboutafreeinterminglingofthepeoplesoftheEast andoftheWesttheonesure,humanwayofdevelopingtheunderstandingrequiredfor confidentandpeacefulrelations. InsteadofthediscontentwhichisnowsettlinguponEasternGermany,occupiedAustria,and thecountriesofEasternEurope,weseekaharmoniousfamilyoffreeEuropeannations,with noneathreattotheother,andleastofallathreattothepeoplesoftheRussia.Beyondthe turmoilandstrifeandmiseryofAsia,weseekpeacefulopportunityforthesepeoplesto developtheirnaturalresourcesandtoelevatetheirlives. Thesearenotidlewordsorshallowvisions.Behindthemliesastoryofnationslatelycometo independence,notasaresultofwar,butthroughfreegrantorpeacefulnegotiation.Thereis arecordalreadywrittenofassistancegladlygivenbynationsoftheWesttoneedypeoples andtothosesufferingthetemporaryeffectsoffamine,drought,andnaturaldisaster.These aredeedsofpeace.Theyspeakmoreloudlythanpromisesorprotestationsofpeacefulintent. ButIdonotwishtoresteitheruponthereiterationofpastproposalsortherestatementof pastdeeds.Thegravityofthetimeissuchthateverynewavenueofpeace,nomatterhow dimlydiscernible,shouldbeexplored.Thereisatleastonenewavenueofpeacewhichhas notyetbeenwellexploredanavenuenowlaidoutbytheGeneralAssemblyoftheUnites Nations. InitsresolutionofNovember18th,1953thisGeneralAssemblysuggestedandIquote thattheDisarmamentCommissionstudythedesirabilityofestablishingasubcommittee consistingofrepresentativesofthePowersprincipallyinvolved,whichshouldseekinprivate anacceptablesolutionandreportsuchasolutiontotheGeneralAssemblyandtotheSecurity CouncilnotlaterthanSeptember1,of1954.

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TheUnitedStates,heedingthesuggestionoftheGeneralAssemblyoftheUnitedNations,is instantlypreparedtomeetprivatelywithsuchothercountriesasmaybeprincipally involved,toseekanacceptablesolutiontotheatomicarmamentsracewhichovershadows notonlythepeace,buttheverylifeoftheworld.Weshallcarryintotheseprivateor diplomatictalksanewconception. TheUnitedStateswouldseekmorethanthemerereductionoreliminationofatomicmaterials formilitarypurposes.Itisnotenoughtotakethisweaponoutofthehandsofthesoldiers.It mustbeputintothehandsofthosewhowillknowhowtostripitsmilitarycasingandadaptit totheartsofpeace. TheUnitedStatesknowsthatifthefearfultrendofatomicmilitarybuildupcanbereversed, thisgreatestofdestructiveforcescanbedevelopedintoagreatboon,forthebenefitofall mankind.TheUnitedStatesknowsthatpeacefulpowerfromatomicenergyisnodreamofthe future.Thatcapability,alreadyproved,ishere,now,today.Whocandoubt,iftheentirebody oftheworldsscientistsandengineershadadequateamountsoffissionablematerialwith whichtotestanddeveloptheirideas,thatthiscapabilitywouldrapidlybetransformedinto universal,efficient,andeconomicusage? Tohastenthedaywhenfearoftheatomwillbegintodisappearfromthemindsofpeopleand thegovernmentsoftheEastandWest,therearecertainstepsthatcanbetakennow.I thereforemakethefollowingproposals: Thegovernmentsprincipallyinvolved,totheextentpermittedbyelementaryprudence,to beginnowandcontinuetomakejointcontributionsfromtheirstockpilesofnormaluranium andfissionablematerialstoanInternationalAtomicEnergyAgency.Wewouldexpectthat suchanagencywouldbesetupundertheaegisoftheUnitedNations. Theratiosofcontributions,theprocedures,andotherdetailswouldproperlybewithinthe scopeoftheprivateconversationsIhavereferredtoearlier. TheUnitedStatesispreparedtoundertaketheseexplorationsingoodfaith.Anypartnerof theUnitedStatesactinginthesamegoodfaithwillfindtheUnitedStatesanotunreasonable orungenerousassociate. Undoubtedly,initialandearlycontributionstothisplanwouldbesmallinquantity.However, theproposalhasthegreatvirtuethatitcanbeundertakenwithouttheirritationsandmutual suspicionsincidenttoanyattempttosetupacompletelyacceptablesystemofworldwide inspectionandcontrol. TheAtomicEnergyAgencycouldbemaderesponsiblefortheimpounding,storage,and protectionofthecontributedfissionableandothermaterials.

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Theingenuityofourscientistswillprovidespecial,safeconditionsunderwhichsuchabankof fissionablematerialcanbemadeessentiallyimmunetosurpriseseizure. ThemoreimportantresponsibilityofthisAtomicEnergyAgencywouldbetodevisemethods wherebythisfissionablematerialwouldbeallocatedtoservethepeacefulpursuitsof mankind.Expertswouldbemobilizedtoapplyatomicenergytotheneedsofagriculture, medicine,andotherpeacefulactivities.Aspecialpurposewouldbetoprovideabundant electricalenergyinthepowerstarvedareasoftheworld.ThusthecontributingPowerswould bededicatingsomeoftheirstrengthtoservetheneedsratherthanthefearsofmankind. TheUnitedStateswouldbemorethanwillingitwouldbeproudtotakeupwithothers principallyinvolvedthedevelopmentofplanswherebysuchpeacefuluseofatomicenergy wouldbeexpedited. OfthoseprincipallyinvolvedtheSovietUnionmust,ofcourse,beone.Iwouldbeprepared tosubmittotheCongressoftheUnitedStates,andwitheveryexpectationofapproval,any suchplanthatwould,first,encourageworldwideinvestigationintothemosteffective peacetimeusesoffissionablematerial,andwiththecertaintythatthey[theinvestigators]had allthematerialneededfortheconductofallexperimentsthatwereappropriatesecond, begintodiminishthepotentialdestructivepoweroftheworldsatomicstockpilesthird,allow allpeoplesofallnationstoseethat,inthisenlightenedage,thegreatPowersoftheearth, bothoftheEastandoftheWest,areinterestedinhumanaspirationsfirstratherthanin buildingupthearmamentsofwarfourth,openupanewchannelforpeacefuldiscussionand initiateatleastanewapproachtothemanydifficultproblemsthatmustbesolvedinboth privateandpublicconversations,iftheworldistoshakeofftheinertiaimposedbyfearandis tomakepositiveprogresstowardpeace. Againstthedarkbackgroundoftheatomicbomb,theUnitedStatesdoesnotwishmerelyto presentstrength,butalsothedesireandthehopeforpeace. Thecomingmonthswillbefraughtwithfatefuldecisions.InthisAssembly,inthecapitalsand militaryheadquartersoftheworld,intheheartsofmeneverywhere,betheygovernedor governors,maytheybethedecisionswhichwillleadthisworldoutoffearandintopeace. Tothemakingofthesefatefuldecisions,theUnitedStatespledgesbeforeyou,andtherefore beforetheworld,itsdeterminationtohelpsolvethefearfulatomicdilemmatodevoteits entireheartandmindtofindthewaybywhichthemiraculousinventivenessofmanshallnot bededicatedtohisdeath,butconsecratedtohislife. Iagainthankthedelegatesforthegreathonortheyhavedonemeininvitingmetoappear beforethemandinlisteningtomesocourteously. Thankyou.

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