[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 35, Number 41 (Monday, October 18, 1999)]
[Pages 1998-2000]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
The President's Radio Address

October 9, 1999

    Good morning. On Tuesday the Senate plans to vote on whether to 
ratify the nuclear test ban treaty. Today I want to emphasize

[[Page 1999]]

why this agreement is critical to the security and future of all 
Americans.
    Just imagine a world in which more and more countries obtained 
nuclear weapons and more and more destructive varieties. That may be the 
single greatest threat to our children's future. And the single best way 
to reduce it is to stop other countries from testing nuclear explosives 
in the first place. That's exactly what the test ban treaty will do.
    The treaty is even more essential today than it was when President 
Eisenhower proposed it more than 40 years ago, or when President Kennedy 
pursued it. It's more essential, even than, when we signed it 3 years 
ago, because every year, the threat grows that nuclear weapons will 
spread--in the Middle East, the Persian Gulf, and Asia, to areas where 
American troops are deployed, to regions with intense rivalries, to 
rogue leaders, and perhaps even to terrorists.
    The test ban treaty gives us our best chance to control this threat. 
A hundred and fifty-four countries have already signed it, including 
Russia, China, Japan, Israel, Iran, and all our European allies. Many 
nations have already ratified it, including 11 of our NATO Allies, 
including nuclear powers France and Britain. But for 2 years after I 
submitted the treaty to the Senate for ratification, there had been 
absolutely no action.
    Now, only a week has been allotted to consider it. That is 
especially disturbing since the issue has been politicized--apparently 
with large numbers of Republican Senators committing to their leader to 
vote against it without even giving the issue serious consideration or 
hearing the arguments.
    Now, a week is not enough time for an issue of this profound 
importance. That's why I've said I want to see the vote postponed so we 
can have a thorough debate that addresses all the legitimate concerns.
    The stakes are high. If our Senate rejected this treaty outright, it 
would be the first time the Senate has rejected a treaty since the 
Treaty of Versailles, which established the League of Nations after 
World War I. We all know what America's walking away from the world 
after World War I brought us--in the Depression and the Second World 
War. If our Senate rejected this treaty, it would be a dangerous U-turn 
away from our role as the world's leader against the spread of nuclear 
weapons. It would say to every country in the world, ``Well, the United 
States isn't going to test, but we're giving all of you a green light to 
test, develop, and deploy nuclear weapons.''
    Last year rival nuclear explosions by India and Pakistan shook the 
world. Now both countries have indicated their willingness to sign the 
test ban treaty. But if our Senate defeats it, can we convince India and 
Pakistan to forgo more tests? America has been the world's leader 
against the proliferation of nuclear weapons for more than four decades. 
If our Senate defeats it, we won't be anymore. If our Senate defeats it, 
what will prevent China, Russia, or others from testing and deploying 
new and ever more destructive weapons?
    Some oppose the treaty because they say we still need to test 
nuclear weapons ourselves to make sure they're reliable. But this week 
32 American Nobel Prize-winning physicists and other leading scientists 
told the Senate that America doesn't need to test more nuclear weapons 
to keep a safe and reliable nuclear force. After all, we stopped testing 
back in 1992. And now we're spending about $4\1/2\ billion a year on 
proven program, using our advanced technology to maintain a superior 
nuclear force without testing. Since we don't need nuclear tests to 
protect our security, this treaty does not require us to do anything we 
haven't already done.
    It's about preventing other countries from nuclear testing; about 
constraining nuclear weapons development around the world, at a time 
when we have an overwhelming advantage.
    I've told the Senate I would be prepared to withdraw from this 
treaty if our national security ever required us to resume nuclear tests 
in the future. And I've urged them to work with me to include safeguards 
in their ratification act, as they normally do.
    Some also say these treaties are too risky because some people might 
cheat on them. But with no treaty, other countries can test without 
cheating and without limit. The treaty will strengthen our ability to 
determine

[[Page 2000]]

whether other countries are engaged in suspicious activity. With onsite 
inspections and a global network of over 300 sensors, including 33 in 
Russia, 11 in China, 17 in the Middle East, we could catch cheaters and 
mobilize the world against them. None of that will happen if we don't 
ratify the treaty.
    That's why four former Chairmen of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the 
current Chairman have all endorsed the nuclear test ban treaty. So have 
a broad spectrum of religious leaders and many other leading Americans, 
both Republicans and Democrats.
    So I say to the Senators who haven't endorsed it, heed the best 
national security advice of our military leaders. Hear our allies who 
are looking to us to lead. Listen to the scientists. Listen to the 
American people who have long supported the treaty. And since you're not 
prepared for whatever reason to seize the priceless chance to fulfill 
the dream of Presidents Eisenhower and Kennedy for a safer world, delay 
the vote on the treaty, debate it thoroughly, and work with us on a 
bipartisan basis to address legitimate concerns. And then you'll be able 
to vote yes for our country and our children's future.
    Thanks for listening.

Note: The President spoke at 9:06 a.m., c.d.t., from the Lake Michigan 
Room at the Hilton Towers in Chicago, IL.