Nuclear Weapons History and Proliferation: 1940s

1940s
Following the US’s detonation of the world’s first nuclear weapon, the USSR felt the need to compete, conducting its first nuclear test almost 4 years later. During the time between these tests, a man named Bernard M. Baruch proposed that all atomic energy be internationally controlled, and all atomic activities be licensed; the Baruch Plan was quickly dismissed by the USSR. The end of the 1940s brought with them the creation of COCOM, which was established by the noncommunist nations of the world, to prevent “the transfer of militarily useful technology to the communist world” (Mendelsohn, Grahame, 61).

Other posts on nuclear arms:

Nuclear Weapons History and Proliferation: Introduction
Nuclear Weapons History and Proliferation: 1940s
Nuclear Weapons History and Proliferation: 1950s
Nuclear Weapons History and Proliferation: 1960s
Nuclear Weapons History and Proliferation: 1970s
Nuclear Weapons History and Proliferation: 1980s
Nuclear Weapons History and Proliferation: Conclusion

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Brennan, Donald G. Arms Control, Disarmament, and National Security. George Braziller: New York. 1961.
Garwin, Richard L. “Nuclear Weapons in the 21st Century: Prospects and Policy.” 23 Oct. 1999 – 25 Oct. 1999. 29 Mar. 2004 http://www.fas.org/rlg/102599nw21.htm.
Mendelsohn, Jack, and Grahame, David. Arms Control Chronology. The Center for Defense Information: Washington D.C. 2002.
“Nuclear Energy.” Harper’s Magazine. 29 March 2004. 2 April 2004 http://www.harpers.org/Nuclear.html.
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