A TREATY TO BAN NUCLEAR TESTING WORLDWIDE...PUT FORTH BY PRESIDENT CLINTON...APPEARED DOOMED TUESDAY AFTERNOON AS REPUBLICAN OPPOSITION TOUGHENED...AND DEMOCRATIC LEADERSHIP CONCEDED THERE WERE NOT ENOUGH VOTES TO RATIFY THE INITIATIVE. REPUBLICANS WANTED MORE TIME TO DISCUSS THE ISSUE. THE COMPREHENSIVE NUCLEAR TEST BAN TREATY HAS BEEN SIGNED BY ONE HUNDRED 54 NATIONS BUT RATIFIED BY ONLY TWO OF THE SEVEN ACKNOWLEDGED NUCLEAR POWERS, BRITAIN AND FRANCE. LEADING REPUBLICANS...INCLUDING GOP PRESIDENTIAL GEORGE W. BUSH...SAY THE TREATY IS NOT VERIFIABLE AND WOULD NOT STOP THE NUCLEAR AMBITIONS OF NORTH KOREA AND IRAN. THEY ALSO ARGUE THE BAN WOULD HARM EFFORTS TO MAINTAIN THE SAFETY OAND RELIABILITY OF THE U.S. NUCLEAR ARSENAL. THE UNITED STATES STOPPED TESTING IN 1992 AND HAS NO INTENTION OF RESUMING SAYS CLINTON.SUNRISE
The remains of Jumbo at the Trinity Test Site in New Mexico, USA. This massive steel container was designed to contain the plutonium in the event of failure during the world's first atomic test in 1945. Originally weighing in at over 200 tons with walls 35 centimeters thick and enclosed by two end caps, Jumbo was never used for its intended purpose. The damage to the 7-meter long container and missing end caps evident here were caused by conventional explosive testing in 1946 which was unrelated to the nuclear program.
Close up of the thick wall of Jumbo at the Trinity Test Site in New Mexico, USA. This massive steel container was designed to contain the plutonium in the event of failure during the world's first atomic test in 1945. Originally weighing in at over 200 tons with walls 35 centimeters thick and enclosed by two end caps, Jumbo was never used for its intended purpose. The damage to the 7-meter long container and missing end caps evident here were caused by conventional explosive testing in 1946 which was unrelated to the nuclear program.