President Clinton's response to the Bethe Letter

The White House
Washington, DC

June 2, 1997

Professor Hans Bethe
Federation of American Scientists
Washington, DC

Dear Professor Bethe:

Thank you for sharing your thoughts on nuclear weapons with me, and for the tremendous service you have rendered this nation and the world for well over half a century. Your efforts to develop the atomic bomb during a grave period of national emergency, and your subsequent courageous and principled efforts in support of international agreements to control the awesome destructive power of these weapons, have made our country more secure and the entire world a safer place.

I am fully committed to securing the ratification, entry into force and effective implementation of the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT). By banning all nuclear explosions, the CTBT will constrain the development and qualitative improvement of nuclear weapons and end the development of advanced new types of nuclear weapons. In this way, the Treaty will contribute to the process of nuclear disarmament and the prevention of nuclear proliferation, and it will strengthen international peace and security.

I appreciate your support for the Science-Based Stockpile Stewardship Program. The objective of this program is to ensure that our existing nuclear weapons remain safe and reliable in the absence of nuclear testing. As you are aware, my support for the CTBT is conditioned upon such a program, including the conduct of a broad range of effective and continuing experimental programs. I have also directed that the United States maintain the basic capability to resume nuclear test activities prohibited by the CTBT in the unlikely event that the United States should need to withdraw from this treaty. These precautions notwithstanding, I remain confident that the CTBT points us toward a new century in which the roles and risks of nuclear weapons can be further reduced, and ultimately eliminated.

Thank you again for sharing your views with me as we work to lift the nuclear backdrop that has darkened the world's stage for far too long.

Sincerely,

Bill Clinton