A Pentagon official was telling reporters how to build a bomb shelter by digging a hole and covering it with doors and dirt. Star Wars was not just a Hollywood fantasy but a Beltway fixation. A TV movie warned of the agonies of the day after. Unfortunately, some arms control groups faded away once the intense nuclear debate of the 80's had passed. Regional rivalries now drive dangerous arms races.
Terrorists seek weapons of mass destruction.
And although we have made considerable progress with a democratic Russia in reducing nuclear arsenals, we need to go further. After years of confrontation, the Reagan-Bush Administrations made dramatic progress in arms reduction agreements with the Soviet Union. We have built on these accomplishments with a comprehensive agenda. Since 1993, the President has aggressively pursued efforts to halt the spread and testing of nuclear explosives. And last year, the President submitted the Treaty to the Senate, with safeguard provisions to protect our national interests.