ABSTRACT
The evolution of the nuclear test ban debate can be seen as a competition between changing sets of arguments, with differing arguments gaining and losing prominence over time. A test ban of some sort was a logical agreement at the time for reducing the risk of war, slowing proliferation, and stopping fallout. The technical findings of the conference led President Eisenhower to propose that negotiations on a comprehensive test ban begin October 31, 1958. The individual determination of John F. Kennedy and Khrushchev to avert war and to move US-Soviet relations away from confrontation was in substantial measure responsible for obtaining agreement on a test ban. The history of the test ban issue holds a number of lessons for consideration of restrictive test bans. While congressional opinion of most presidential test ban initiatives over the years has been mixed, with some Members supporting them and others opposing them, Congress has been principal national forum for the opposition to the initiatives.
