Nuclear test raises hackles in U.S.S.R.

Abstract

The nuclear weapons test conducted by Soviet weaponeers at their test site in the Arctic on the island of Novaya Zemlya on Oct. 24 has triggered a lively public debate within the Soviet Union as well as concern in neighboring Nordic countries. It has raised the question of Who's on first? in regard to what the Soviets have long considered a very important arms control goal— the banning of all nuclear weapons testing worldwide as soon as possible. The test, which was underground, was relatively large, about 85 kilotons. It was the first Soviet nuclear test in more than a year. The blast came six days after Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev had reiterated his strong commitment to a global test ban. It also came a few weeks after the Supreme Soviet had ratified a bilateral 1974 treaty with the U.S. limiting the size of nuclear tests to 150 kilotons and called upon parliaments around the ...