Skip to main content

A Strategy to Stop the Spread of Fissile Material

  • Conference paper
  • 61 Accesses

Abstract

In 1946, the USA confronted the implications of the indissoluble link between the peaceful and the military atom in formulating its proposals for the control of atomic energy. In its “Report on the International Control of Atomic Energy” (commonly referred to as the Acheson-Lilienthal Report), a Board of Consultants to the Secretary of State’s Committee on Atomic Energy formulated its central conclusion as follows1:

“We are convinced that if the production of fissionable materials by national governments (or by private organizations under their control) is permitted, systems of inspection cannot by themselves be made (effective). …

(A) system of inspection superimposed on an otherwise uncontrolled exploitation of atomic energy by national governments will not be an adequate safeguard.” (emphasis in original)

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.

Buying options

Chapter
USD   29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD   84.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD   109.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Learn about institutional subscriptions

Preview

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

References

  1. A Report on the International Control of Atomic Energy. Prepared for the Secretary of State’s Committee on Atomic Energy, U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington D.C., 16 March 1946 (the “Acheson-Lilienthal Report”).

    Google Scholar 

  2. V D. Albright and H. Feiveson, “Plutonium Recycling and the Problem of Nuclear Proliferation”, Annual Review of Energy, 1988, 13: 239–65.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  3. F. von Hippel, D. Albright, and B. Levi, “Stopping the Production of Fissile Material for Weapons”, Scientific American, September 1985; H. Feiveson, F. von Hippel, and D. Albright, “Breaking the Fuel-Weapons Connection”, Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, March 1986.

    Google Scholar 

  4. The Economics of the Nuclear Fuel Cycle, A Report by an Expert Group, OECD/NEA, 1985, pp. 150, 154–55.

    Google Scholar 

  5. D. Albright and H. Feiveson, “Why Recycle Plutonium?”, Science, 235, 27 March 1987, pp. 1555–56.

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  6. J. Carson Mark, T. Taylor, E. Eyster, W. Maraman, and J. Wechsler, “Can Terrorists Build Nuclear Weapons?”, in Preventing Nuclear Terrorism, P. Laventhal and Y. Alexander (eds.), Lexington, MA.: Lexington Books, 1987.

    Google Scholar 

  7. J. Goldemberg, T. Johansson, A. Reddy, and R. Williams, Energy for a Sustainable World, Wiley, 1988.

    Google Scholar 

  8. Nuclear Energy Agency, OECD, Nuclear Spent Fuel Management: Experience and Options, 1986.

    Google Scholar 

  9. E.H. Williams and E. Larson, “Aeroderivative Turbines for Stationary Power”, Report Number 226, May 1988, Center for Energy and Environmental Studies, Princeton University.

    Google Scholar 

  10. C.D. Masters, et al, “World Resources of Crude Oil, Natural Gas, Natural Bitumen, and Shale Oil”, Paper prepared for the 12th World Petroleum Congress, Houston, Texas, 1987.

    Google Scholar 

  11. V. Ramanathan, “Trace Gas Trends and Climate Change”, University of Chicago, January 1987.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Authors

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 1989 Pugwash Conferences on Science and World Affairs and Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

About this paper

Cite this paper

Feiveson, H. (1989). A Strategy to Stop the Spread of Fissile Material. In: Rotblat, J., Goldanskii, V.I. (eds) Global Problems and Common Security. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-75072-4_8

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-75072-4_8

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-642-75074-8

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-642-75072-4

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

Publish with us

Policies and ethics