A look back at when nations acquired their nuclear weapons

A look back at when nations acquired their nuclear weapons

Take a historical look back at how the United States has responded each time other nations of the world developed their nuclear weapons programs.

The following are videos of these past events.

United States of America
___
Trinity was the code name of the first detonation of a nuclear weapon in the world.  It was conducted by the United States Army at 5:29 am on July 16, 1945.
Video: The Big Test 1945

____
Video: Hiroshima: Dropping the Bomb

____
Video: Footage: Atomic bomb drop in Hiroshima

____
Video: Atomic bombing of Nagasaki

____
Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (Russia)
Video: President Trumps and the U.S. response to Russia’s first nuclear weapon test detonated on August 29, 1949

____
United Kingdom
Video: Operation Hurricane was the test of the first UK atomic device detonated, on October 3,1952, in the lagoon in the Monte Bello Islands in Western Australia

____
France
Gerboise Bleue was the name of the first French nuclear test. It was an atomic bomb detonated near Reggane, in the middle of the Algerian Sahara desert on February 13, 1960.
Video: France test its first nuclear weapon defying a United Nations resolution along with the United States and the USSR

____
United States Air Force presents
Video: Stay Safe -The Facts About Nuclear Weapons – 1960

____
China
China established the Lop Nur Nuclear Test Base on October 16, 1959
The first Chinese nuclear bomb test, codenamed “596”, occurred at Lop Nur on October 16, 1964.
Video: President Johnson announces China’s first atomic bomb test 1964 and the U.S. response

____
India
Jawaharlal Nehru, who on August 15, 1947, would become India’s first Prime Minister announced on June 26, 1946:
“As long as the world is constituted as it is, every country will have to devise and use the latest devices for its protection. I have no doubt India will develop her scientific researches and I hope Indian scientists will use the atomic force for constructive purposes. But if India is threatened, she will inevitably try to defend herself by all means at her disposal.”

Video: Indira Gandhi lauds India‘s Nuclear program for other purposes

____
Video: India first tested a nuclear device on May 18, 1974 (Smiling Buddha) under Prime Minister Indira Gandhi

____
Video: President Clinton urges India to end its nuclear tests

____
Video: India- Nuclear Tests – May 11,1998
India performed further nuclear tests in 1998
In August 1999, the Indian government released a draft of the doctrine[28] which asserts that nuclear weapons are solely for deterrence and that India will pursue a policy of “retaliation only”. As a response to the continuing tests, the United States and Japan imposed sanctions on India, which have since been lifted.

____
Video: President Clinton orders sanctions on India after its nuclear test

____
Video: President Clinton talks about India’s nuclear testing and Pakistan

____
South Africa

In 1993, President F.W. DeKlerk revealed that South Africa had built 6 nuclear weapons and was in the process of building a 7th when his government decided to halt the program and destroy the nuclear devices. The political election held on April 27, 1994 mark the end of apartheid South Africa. Nelson R. Mandela would serve as President of South Africa from 1994 to 1999.

Video: F.W. De Klerk: speaks on nuclear weapons in South Africa- former President of South Africa
South Africa’s former president stated that they had nuclear weapons to protect Southern Africa’s natural resources. South Africa also had the weapons to keep out foreign influence.
F. W. de Klerk, was the 7th and last President of apartheid South Africa, serving from September 1989 to May 1994. He was preceded by P. W. Botha and succeeded by Nelson Mandela.

____
Israel
Video: Former president Jimmy Carter on Israel having 150 nuclear weapons or more

____
Video: Israel’s Nuclear Weapons
Carnegie Council for Ethics in International Affairs

____
Video:Pat Buchanan – Israel has 300 atomic bombs
Forward to 7 minutes into the video clip

____
Pakistan
Kirana-I was the assigned codename of the 24 subcritical ‘cold tests’ conducted by Pakistan from 1983–1990. The tests were eventually made public in 2000.

Chagai-I was Pakistan’s first public test of nuclear weapons done on May 28,1998.

Video:President Clinton condemns Pakistan’s nuclear test decision and orders sanctions

____
Donald Trump – Meet the Press October 24, 1999 with Tim Russert

____