Subject: Illogical Rejection of the Nuclear Test Ban Treaty

Letter to the Editor

Los Angeles Times

Senator Jon Kyl (R-Arizona) stated that "Our nuclear weapons are sophisticated devices with thousands of parts that must function together with split-second timing. As these weapons age, they corrode and deteriorate." This is not a logical argument for nuclear testing.

The nuclear core of a weapon is composed of two to ten fissile components that must be smashed together by explosives, triggered by the thousands of deteriorating parts.

It is possible to test the thousands of deteriorating parts without detonating the fissile components. The advantage is that if the test goes wrong, the bad components have not been vaporized.

We know that the fissile materials age. The appropriate policy is to simply cycle through the bombs and extract the nuclear material for chemical reconditioning and replace the nuclear cores with new certified nuclear material. That compares to changing the batteries in our smoke detectors every year.

Mutually assured destruction has prevented nuclear war and large World Wars for the last 50 years. The risk now is from small countries or non-governmental terrorist organizations. The fact is that the United States has five times the nuclear weapons needed to destroy civilization.

Improving that capability is meaningless. Improving that capability is a waste of taxpayer dollars. Improving that capability only increases the likelihood that nuclear weapons will fall into the hands of those who are not deterred by our arsenal.

We should all be concerned that our nuclear scientists, after having saved us from war, are not thrown on the trash heap. There are plenty of good things that they can do without increasing the risk of nuclear proliferation.

As far as Korea, Libya, Iraq or Iran are concerned, our policy should reflect the Israeli approach: Their developing a nuclear capability would result in a preemptive attack.

Clifford W. Lazar