This has been a difficult objective to achieve. In 1963 President Kennedy and the Soviets, Premier Khrushchev, and the British, followed by a number of other countries, agreed to ban all tests except those conducted underground. Ever since, we have been trying to make the ban on nuclear weapons tests truly comprehensive. We believe that now this objective is almost in hand. In fact, it is in hand, if we do the right thing and pursue it rigorously this spring.
States do so as well.
The United States wants to deliver on this commitment. And beyond that, we believe that, perhaps it is now or never for achieving this long-sought goal. Everything is in position. We have the commitments of all of these countries. We have the commitments of all of the nuclear weapon States.