[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 14 (Thursday, February 1, 1996)]
[Senate]
[Page S864]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         FRENCH NUCLEAR TESTING

 Mr. FEINGOLD. Mr. President, I rise today to join my 
colleagues in welcoming to the United States, the President of France, 
Jacques Chirac, who will address a joint session of the Congress this 
morning. I look forward to his remarks and observations, not only on 
historically close French-American bilateral relations, but on 
developments on the international scene. The political, economic, and 
cultural ties which link the French and American people go beyond mere 
trade of goods and ideas, however important those may be. Our relations 
with the French are almost as with brothers and sisters; more often 
than not, France and the United States have stood as allies in the 
struggle for freedom. The debt we owed France for its assistance during 
our Revolution, for example, was repaid on the beaches of Normandy.
  Though we may be friends, Mr. President, it is a strength and beauty 
of the relationship that permits us to air our differences over some 
fundamental questions. One of those issues has been the French program 
of testing nuclear devices in the South Pacific, a regrettable series 
of tests which, literally and figuratively, have served only to poison 
the environment and endangered U.S.-led efforts to conclude a 
Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty this year.
  Since September 5, 1995, Mr. President, the Government of France has 
exploded six nuclear devices at underground testing sites in the South 
Pacific. The most recent explosion was made only 4 days ago and came 
despite French acknowledgement that there had been some leakage of 
radioactive material into the seabed around the Mururoa Atoll. The 
French Government ignored, as well, the vociferous protests of various 
governments of Pacific Rim nations, whose people would be affected by 
the potentially dangerous effects of leaked radiation.
  France justified this somewhat colonial action by claiming that its 
sovereign interest in assuring its security overrode the health and 
safety of those affected by these tests. These should never have 
happened.
  But I do believe, Mr. President, that we can take some satisfaction 
in President Chirac's January 28 announcement that the testing is now 
finally and forevermore at end. I salute, too, his claim that France 
will now seek a lead role in working for a comprehensive test ban. I 
also applaud President Clinton's leadership in seeking a true ``zero 
yield'' CTBT. On October 10, 1995, I wrote to the President expressing 
my concerns about U.S. involvement in the French nuclear weapons 
program. President Clinton responded with a statement of regret about 
France's decision on testing, and a pledge to continue to press for a 
CTBT. I ask that these letters be printed in the Record.
  The letters follow:

                                                  U.S. Senate,

                                 Washington, DC, October 10, 1995.
     President Bill Clinton,
     The White House, Washington, DC.
       Dear Mr. President: We want to draw your attention to 
     recent reports concerning close cooperation between the U.S. 
     and France in developing the French nuclear weapons program.
       An article in the Washington Post September 19 suggests 
     that a decades-long period of U.S. support for technical 
     assistance to the French program not only continues, but may 
     soon reach new, unprecedented levels of cooperation. 
     Particularly disturbing are the reports that the U.S. and 
     France are currently negotiating a pact by which the two 
     sides will begin to share sensitive computer codes that 
     describe how nuclear weapons behave when exploded. Further, 
     it is reported that a senior-level American scientist will 
     also help the French government in building and designating a 
     new facility for weapons-related research.
       These reports are deeply troubling. They serve to undermine 
     the strong political leadership you consistently exhibited in 
     successfully urging the nations of the world to extend the 
     Nuclear Non-Proliferation treaty (NPT) and in your continuing 
     efforts to secure a comprehensive test ban treaty. It also 
     seems to contradict the Administration's very public 
     criticisms of recent French nuclear testing in the Pacific.
       Moreover, we can speculate that once the French government 
     has access to computer code data generated by the U.S., and 
     designs weapons with technical assistance provided by the 
     U.S., it will seek to test the weapons in the Pacific which, 
     it could be said, will have been god-fathered by the U.S. 
     More troubling still is the possibility that the U.S. itself 
     will share in the data generated by French tests.
       Cooperation with the French government on matters of mutual 
     security is important. But in order to continue to lead with 
     moral authority on the question of deterring nuclear non-
     proliferation and on ending unnecessary and harmful nuclear 
     weapons testing, we urge you to carefully review these 
     policies. We believe that taking measures which discourage--
     rather than facilitate--nuclear weapons testing should remain 
     the lodestar which guides Administration policy.
       We thank you for your efforts to date and look forward to 
     hearing from you.
           Sincerely,
     Russell D. Feingold.
     Daniel K. Akaka.
     Tom Harkin.
     Byron Dorgan.
                                                                    ____



                                               The White House

                                     Washington, November 7, 1995.
     Hon. Russell Feingold,
     U.S. Senate, Washington, DC.
       Dear Russ: Thank you for your recent letter regarding 
     nuclear cooperation with France.
       The United States has had an ongoing cooperative program 
     with France in the nuclear area. My Administration recently 
     conducted a review of this program and I have concluded that 
     such a program of cooperation with France remains in the U.S. 
     national interest. I have also directed that this program 
     focus on stockpile stewardship (i.e., maintenance of existing 
     nuclear stockpiles without nuclear testing) and that it not 
     include activities that would materially aid the development 
     of new nuclear weapons.
       Of course, such a program of cooperation can only take 
     place in the overall context of positive United States-French 
     relations. While I regret France's decision to resume nuclear 
     testing, we must also take note of France's strong commitment 
     to sign a Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) banning all 
     nuclear tests, ``regardless of level,'' no later than the 
     fall of 1996. This position is consistent with my own 
     decision to seek a true ``zero yield'' CTBT. We will continue 
     to work with France and all other states participating in the 
     CTBT negotiations to ensure that a Treaty is ready for 
     signature as early as possible next year.
           Sincerely,
                                                             Bill.

  Mr. FEINGOLD. Mr. President, only last week the Senate ratified the 
START II Treaty, putting us firmly back on the road to ending the 
threat of nuclear annihilation. The next step is to bring to reality 
the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty, which would serve to put an 
end to the practice of testing weaponry which--we pray and can 
increasingly say with confidence--will never be put to use. This effort 
was seriously undermined by the French tests, and it has caused other 
nations to question the point and sincerity of the CTBT. While I harbor 
deep regrets about the effect of France's unwarranted tests, I want to 
say now to President Chirac, ``welcome aboard.'' We look forward to 
close cooperation with France in reaching the goal of ridding the world 
of nuclear weapons, and will work to ensure that its series of tests 
will be the last ever conducted on the globe.

                          ____________________