Partial Test Ban Treaty

Setting the scene

The Partial Test Ban Treaty was signed on August 5, 1963, in Moscow by the United States, Soviet Union, and United Kingdom, banning nuclear weapons tests in the atmosphere, outer space, and underwater. It did not ban underground tests. The treaty was negotiated after the Cuban Missile Crisis brought the world to the brink of nuclear war and as public concern grew over radioactive fallout from atmospheric tests.

What happened

The treaty followed 8 years of negotiations. President Kennedy and Premier Khrushchev, shaken by the missile crisis, pushed for agreement. The treaty was signed by Secretary of State Dean Rusk, Soviet Foreign Minister Andrei Gromyko, and British Foreign Secretary Alec Douglas-Home. It entered into force October 10, 1963, and has been signed by 126 nations.

Why it still matters

The treaty was the first major Cold War arms control agreement, reducing radioactive fallout and slowing the arms race, though underground testing continued until the 1990s. It demonstrated that the superpowers could cooperate on existential threats. August 5, 1963, marked the beginning of nuclear arms control and showed that even bitter rivals could negotiate limits on weapons of mass destruction.

Background

Fallout fears had driven diplomacy.