nuclear history

Chernobyl disaster worse than we were told, historian Kate Brown says

Chernobyl should be seen, not as a one-time accident, Brown argued, but as part of a larger, still ongoing story of global nuclear contamination and Russian, American and the international officials hiding the truth.

Could the Climate Crisis Be “The Good News of Damnation”?

by Lawrence Wittner

There is no other solution to the onrushing climate catastrophe than for people and nations to forget their tribal animosities and start behaving as part of a world society. The climate crisis, like the prospect of nuclear annihilation, really is “the good news of damnation.”  And we can only overcome it by working together.

'Broken Arrow': When the First U.S. Atomic Bomb Went Missing

Since the demolition crew’s report was top secret, no word emerged about the whereabouts of the missing atomic bomb. Were there clues in the wreckage that the bomb had in fact been released prior to impact?

Americans Are Ready for a Different Approach to Nuclear Weapons

by Lawrence Wittner

Although today’s public protests against nuclear weapons can’t compare to the major antinuclear upheavals of past decades, there are clear indications that most Americans reject the Trump administration’s nuclear weapons policies.

Fourth Spy Unearthed in U.S. Atomic Bomb Project

His Soviet code name was Godsend, and he came to Los Alamos from a family of secret agents.

Which Would You Prefer―Nuclear War or Climate Catastrophe?

by Lawrence Wittner

A satirical examination of the threats facing the world. 

The Overlooked Aftermath of the Chernobyl Nuclear Disaster

by Robin Lindley

A Conversation with Acclaimed History Professor Kate Brown on Her Groundbreaking Book Manual for Survival: A Chernobyl Guide to the Future

It’s Been 32 Years since the Conclusion of the INF Treaty Yet Arms Control Is Still Vital

by Stephan Kieninger

It is imperative to avoid a situation where we might have no arms control and no mutual verification at all. Against the backdrop of the Trump Administration’s loathing of arms control, it will be up to the European NATO allies to conceptualize a new arms-control framework for the post-INF world.

National Security Archive Publishes New Briefing Book on Nuclear Weapons and Turkey Since 1959

by William Burr

During Mid-1960s Turkish Officials Were Interested in Producing an “Atomic Bomb”

National Security Archive Publishes New Documents on the First Soviet Nuclear Test Offering New Information on Beginning of Nuclear Arms Race

by William Burr

The newly declassified documents reveal the Soviet atomic project posed a major challenge to U.S. intelligence and expands our knowledge of the role of German scientists in advancing the Soviet nuclear program.

The Cuban Missile Crisis and the Trollope Ploy Myth

by Sheldon M. Stern

What we often get wrong about the Cuban Missile Crisis. 

The Latest G-7 Summit Showcases Trump's Foreign Policy Failures

by Walter L. Hixson

There is still time for Trump to reverse his legacy of diplomatic ineptitude. If he fails to do so he may well go down in history as the most feckless foreign policy president in American history.

Israel’s 2007 Decision to Attack a Syrian Nuclear Facility is History and Warning

by Edwin Black

When reading Katz’s book, we are reminded that as complex and difficult as the Syrian strike was, any similar action on Iran’s nuclear capability would be infinitely more daunting and riskier. 

Samantha Smith's Dream of Peace and Nuclear Disarmament

by William Lambers

Samantha Smith taught us your voice matters and you can make a difference in ridding the world of nuclear weapons and achieving peace for all. 

“Mr. Straight Arrow,” John Hersey, and the decision to drop the atomic bomb

by D. M. Giangreco

What recent histories getsright--and wrong--about Harry S. Truman's decision to drop atomic bombs on Japan. 

Dear Moderators of the Presidential Debates: How About Raising the Issue of How to Avert Nuclear War?

by Lawrence Wittner

That question might seem overwrought but, in fact, the U.S. government and others are increasing the role that nuclear weapons play in their “national security” policies. 

HBO’s Chernobyl and the Rendering of History

by Walter G. Moss

The value of HBO’s Chernobyl is not just what it tells us about the failings of the Soviet system. It offers much more.

Photos From the 1986 Chernobyl Disaster

Thirty-three years ago, on April 26, 1986, a series of explosions destroyed Chernobyl’s reactor No. 4, and several hundred staff and firefighters tackled a blaze that burned for 10 days and sent a plume of radiation around the world.

How About a Peace Race Instead of an Arms Race?

by Lawrence Wittner

On September 25, 1961, dismayed by the Soviet Union’s recent revival of nuclear weapons testing, John F. Kennedy used the occasion of his address to the United Nations to challenge the Russians “not to an arms race, but to a peace race.” 

Why nuclear diplomacy needs more women

by Elena Souris

Historically, a homogenous group of policymakers make innovation less likely.