ABSTRACT
The proliferation of nuclear weapons and the capacity to make them is regarded by many members of Congress as a principal danger of the nuclear era. The role of Congress in nonproliferation policy illustrates its potential role in the broader area of arms control. Congress sees proliferation as a great threat to national security and world peace. Some legislation with nonproliferation provisions had been enacted, and work on comprehensive nonproliferation legislation was almost completed in the Senate when Congress adjourned for the election campaign of 1976. Congressional interest in nonproliferation was sustained the interjection of the issue in the presidential campaign. The beginning of the nuclear era, Congress has at times seized the initiative and exerted notable influence on the shaping of nonproliferation policy. It has established goals, criteria, and procedures for nuclear cooperation with other countries, and has supported international treaty commitments and organization to reduce the risk of proliferation.
