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1962 - Presidential Speech: President Kennedy On Disarmament and Testing. 02Mar62 Pt 3 of 7 Continued... Had the Soviet tests of last fall merely reflected a new effort in intimidation & bluff, our security would not have been affected. But in fact they also reflected a highly sophisticated technology, the trial of novel designs & techniques, and some substantial gains in weaponry. Many of these tests were aimed at improving their defenses against missiles; others were proof tests, trying out existing weapons systems, but over one-half emphasized the development of new weapons, particularly those of greater explosive power.
09:21:41 A primary purpose of these tests was the development of warheads which weigh very little compared to the destructive efficiency of their thermonuclear yield. One Soviet test weapon exploded w/ the force of 58 megatons, the equivalent of 58 million tons of TNT. This was a reduced-yield version of their much-publicized one-hundred megaton bomb. Today Soviet missiles do not appear able to carry so heavy a warhead. But there is no avoiding the fact that other Soviet tests, in the 1 to 5 megaton range and up, were aimed at unleashing increased destructive power in warheads actually capable of delivery by existing missiles.
09:22:36 Much has been also said about Soviet claims for an anti-missile missile. Some of the Soviet tests which measured the effects of high altitude nuclear explosion, in one case over 100 miles high were related to this problem. While apparently seeking information on the effects of nuclear blasts on radar & communication which is important in developing an anti-missile defense system these tests did not, in our judgement, reflect a developed system. In short, last fall's tests, in & by themselves, did not give the Soviet Union superiority in nuclear power. They did, however, provide the Soviet laboratories w/ a mass of data & experience on which, over the next two or three years they can base significant analyses, experiments & extrapolations, preparing for the next test series which would confirm & advance their findings.
09:23:46 And I must report to you in all candor that further Soviet tests, in the absence of further Western progress, could well provide the Soviet Union w/ a nuclear attack & defense capability so powerful as to encourage defensive designs. Were we to stand still while the Soviets surpassed us, or even appeared to surpass us, the free World's ability to deter, to survive, & to respond to an all-out attack would be seriously weakened.
09:24:23 The fact of the matter is that we cannot make similar strides without testing in the atmosphere as well as underground. For in many areas of nuclear weapons research we have reached the point where our progress is stifled without experiments in every environment. The information from our last series of atmospheric tests in 1958 has all been analyzed & re-analyzed. It cannot tell us more without new data. And it is in these very areas of research, missile penetration, & missile defense that further major Soviet tests, in the absence of further Western tests, might endanger our deterrent. Continued...
Diplomacy; Cold War; Broken Test Ban Agreements; Atmospheric Nuclear Testing Resumption;
NOTE: Any continuous 16 minutes of entire speech 09:10:45 - 09:42:21 sold at per reel rate.
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NOTE: FOR ORDERING See: www.footagefarm.co.uk or contact us at: Info@Footagefarm.co.uk 1962 - Presidential Speech: President Kennedy On Disarmament and Testing. 02Mar62 Pt 3 of 7 Continued... Had the Soviet tests of last fall merely reflected a new effort in intimidation & bluff, our security would not have been affected. But in fact they also reflected a highly sophisticated technology, the trial of novel designs & techniques, and some substantial gains in weaponry. Many of these tests were aimed at improving their defenses against missiles; others were proof tests, trying out existing weapons systems, but over one-half emphasized the development of new weapons, particularly those of greater explosive power. 09:21:41 A primary purpose of these tests was the development of warheads which weigh very little compared to the destructive efficiency of their thermonuclear yield. One Soviet test weapon exploded w/ the force of 58 megatons, the equivalent of 58 million tons of TNT. This was a reduced-yield version of their much-publicized one-hundred megaton bomb. Today Soviet missiles do not appear able to carry so heavy a warhead. But there is no avoiding the fact that other Soviet tests, in the 1 to 5 megaton range and up, were aimed at unleashing increased destructive power in warheads actually capable of delivery by existing missiles. 09:22:36 Much has been also said about Soviet claims for an anti-missile missile. Some of the Soviet tests which measured the effects of high altitude nuclear explosion, in one case over 100 miles high were related to this problem. While apparently seeking information on the effects of nuclear blasts on radar & communication which is important in developing an anti-missile defense system these tests did not, in our judgement, reflect a developed system. In short, last fall's tests, in & by themselves, did not give the Soviet Union superiority in nuclear power. They did, however, provide the Soviet laboratories w/ a mass of data & experience on which, over the next two or three years they can base significant analyses, experiments & extrapolations, preparing for the next test series which would confirm & advance their findings. 09:23:46 And I must report to you in all candor that further Soviet tests, in the absence of further Western progress, could well provide the Soviet Union w/ a nuclear attack & defense capability so powerful as to encourage defensive designs. Were we to stand still while the Soviets surpassed us, or even appeared to surpass us, the free World's ability to deter, to survive, & to respond to an all-out attack would be seriously weakened. 09:24:23 The fact of the matter is that we cannot make similar strides without testing in the atmosphere as well as underground. For in many areas of nuclear weapons research we have reached the point where our progress is stifled without experiments in every environment. The information from our last series of atmospheric tests in 1958 has all been analyzed & re-analyzed. It cannot tell us more without new data. And it is in these very areas of research, missile penetration, & missile defense that further major Soviet tests, in the absence of further Western tests, might endanger our deterrent. Continued... Diplomacy; Cold War; Broken Test Ban Agreements; Atmospheric Nuclear Testing Resumption; NOTE: Any continuous 16 minutes of entire speech 09:10:45 - 09:42:21 sold at per reel rate. NOTE: FOR ORDERING See: www.footagefarm.co.uk or contact us at: Info@Footagefarm.co.uk