\documentclass[]{article}


% Definition of title page:
\title{
        International Institute for Nuclear Explosions
}
\author{
        John McCarthy   % insert author(s) here
}
\date{May 15,1996 to \today}   % optional

\begin{document}
\maketitle
Nuclear explosions have potential practical and scientific uses.  It 
is superstition to ban them, but making sure they don't contribute to 
the possibility of nuclear war is necessary.

Our idea is that nuclear explosions should be studied and when 
appropriate carried out mainly by an international institute according to 
the following principles.

\begin{enumerate}
        \item  The institute is open to people from all countries.

        \item  No information is kept secret.

        \item  All work is to be done safely.

        \item  Explosions are done when authorized by procedures 
        established by an internationally representative review board.
        
        \item No weapons are to be designed or tested.  Weapon design 
        information is not to be present.
        
        \item Non-proliferation of weapons is to be advanced.

        \item If weapon information is needed for international arms
          control purposes, this information should be handled by
          a different organization.

        \item I leave open the question of whether the Institute
          should have an initial monopoly on nuclear explosions.
          Large scale practical applications, e.g. to energy
          generation, probably preclude monopoly.
        
\end{enumerate}

Up to now, non-proliferation has been promoted by secrecy as well as
by diplomacy.  Secrecy is now almost irrelevant to non-proliferation,
because the essential knowledge required for weapons is widespread.
Diplomacy, inspection and perhaps some coercion have to be relied
upon.

There is a significant development gap between nuclear explosions and 
actual weapons that can be delivered by airplanes or missiles.

What scientific and practical uses of nuclear explosions may develop
is hard to predict.  While both the U.S. and the Soviet work was
always subordinated to the development of weapons, scientists in both
countries, prominently Edward Teller in the U.S., worked hard for
peaceful applications.  The American work is described in a Wikipedia
article entitled Operation_Plowshare at
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Plowshare.

Here are some possibilities.

\begin{enumerate}

      \item Earth moving.  The Soviets did some work in this direction, and
        the Americans studied and did some experiments.        

      \item Fracturing rock to get at natural gas and oil.  Some
        American work was done.

      \item The Orion rockets propelled by nuclear explosions.  This
        kind of rocket can only be used away from the earth's
        atmosphere.  However, it makes possible manned missions to the
        outer planets in reasonable times.  It didn't get past the
        design stage.
 
        \item Nuclear pumped lasers.  The American study of this was
          dominated by the development of anti-missile weapons which
          made the task very difficult.  The extremely intense lasers
          that nuclear explosions make possible may have interesting
          scientific and practical applications.

        \item Study of the behavior of matter under the conditions of
          extreme temperatures and pressures.
        
        \item Thermonuclear explosions in underground chambers as a source
          of energy for electricity.  This will surely work even if
          other approaches to thermonuclear energy continue to prove
          elusive. 
        
        \item Providing for the low probability event of suddenly
          needing nuclear explosions for deflecting anasteroid to
          prevent it from hitting the earth.  A \emph{New
            Yorker} cartoon showed two dinosaurs.  One said, ``All I'm
          saying is \emph{now} is the time to develop the technology
          to deflect an asteroid.''  As the dinosaur said, now is the
          time to develop the technology.


\end{enumerate}

Maybe the establishment of such an institute is politically impossible 
at present, because of the great opposition to nuclear explosions for 
any purpose.  However, as memories of the Cold War with its fears of 
nuclear war recede, a new generation (and maybe older generations) 
will look at the question more calmly.  If this institute is created, 
it may take some time for worthwhile experiments to be proposed and 
agreed upon.

Very likely, there will remain some national programs involving nuclear
explosions.

It will augur ill for the future of humanity if a branch of science 
and its associated technology are abandoned permanently for symbolic 
reasons.

It is unfortunate that the test ban treaty signed in 1996 bans all
nuclear explosions.  Fortunately, the U.S.  Senate rejected it.  I
wouldn't object if it merely banned bomb tests.

The treaty does not make nuclear war less likely.  It merely
creates an unstable situation---favoring the kind of society that can
keep secret (or at least uncertain) that it is carrying out secret
weapons projects.

\end{document}
