U.S. Nuclear Restraint and Nonproliferation

“Bush’s Dangerous Nuclear Double Standard,” the Sept. 23 commentary by Democratic Sens. Edward Kennedy and Dianne Feinstein, demonstrates the naivete of the authors. They posit that restraint by the U.S. in nuclear weapons research and development will restrain nuclear wannabes. Have the senators been asleep during the last decade?

While the U.S. terminated its nuclear test program and terminated research and development on low-yield nuclear weapons because of congressional restrictions, Pakistan and India conducted a series of nuclear tests and, as is well known, Iran and North Korea are up to something no good in the nuclear business. Simply put, U.S. restraint, as defined by Kennedy and Feinstein, has had absolutely no success in restraining the nuclear ambitions of other states. Instead of engaging in wishful thinking, we ought to do what is in the best interests of the U.S.

George Paulikas

Palos Verdes Estates

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Heartfelt thanks to Kennedy and Feinstein for pointing out the hypocrisy of our administration’s attempts to plead for nuclear nonproliferation while pursuing plans to design, build and test nuclear weapons ourselves. And thanks to these senators for trying, unsuccessfully, to prevent it.

Designing and building more nuclear weapons can lead only to a dangerous and world-threatening arms race. Our country must change direction and lead the way toward a world where people no longer need to fear a nuclear holocaust.

Ann Edelman

Los Angeles