[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George H. W. Bush (1992, Book I)]
[July 2, 1992]
[Page 1062]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]



Statement on the United States Nuclear Weapons Initiative

July 2, 1992
    In the wake of the momentous changes in what was then the Soviet 
Union, last September 27 in an address to the Nation from the Oval 
Office I directed that the United States undertake dramatic changes and 
reductions in our nuclear arsenal and challenged the Soviet leadership 
to go down the same road with us. In that speech, I directed that the 
United States bring home from overseas and destroy our entire worldwide 
inventory of ground-launched theater nuclear weapons. At the same time, 
I announced that the United States would withdraw all tactical nuclear 
weapons from its surface ships, attack submarines, and those nuclear 
weapons associated with our land-based naval aircraft. Many of these are 
to be dismantled and destroyed.
    Today I can tell you that all of the planned withdrawals are 
complete. All ground-launched tactical nuclear weapons have been 
returned to U.S. territory, as have all naval tactical nuclear weapons. 
Those weapons designated to be destroyed are being retired and scheduled 
for destruction.
    These historic measures would not have been possible without the 
full support of our allies around the world and without the farsighted 
and courageous leadership of Russian President Boris Yeltsin, Ukrainian 
President Leonid Kravchuk, Republic of Kazakhstan President Nursultan 
Nazarbayev, and Chairman of the Supreme Soviet of the Republic of 
Byelarus Stanislav Shushkevich. They pledged to honor Soviet commitments 
to take comparable steps reducing tactical nuclear weapons. It is 
important that the implementation of these commitments be successfully 
concluded.
    Now I look forward to the prompt ratification of START and to 
concluding a treaty on the even more far-reaching reductions President 
Yeltsin and I announced at the recent summit in Washington.