CHAPTER 3— THE BARUCH PLAN: U.S. DIPLOMACY 

 ENTERS THE NUCLEAR AGE 



I. Introduction 



This study is concerned with the first international negotiations on 

 the control of atomic energy, during the years immediately following 

 "World War II. The arrival of the atom bomb was a technological 

 event of unparalleled significance for international affairs. The ulti- 

 mate meaning of the bomb itself, as distinct from the possible peaceful 

 applications of atomic energy, was that it raised the cost of general 

 war for total victory to an unacceptable level. This fact radically 

 altered the basis for the positions of the diplomats at the bargaining 

 table, and brought with it the problem of how to evaluate and to com- 

 municate the significance of the new development. At the same time, 

 a changed pattern of relations among nations had emerged as a result 

 of the worldwide upheaval of World War II. Participants in this new 

 configuration of power faced the unique technological and diplomatic 

 situation created by atomic energy. 



Technological advances in the field of atomic energy added a new 

 dimension and a new vocabulary to world affairs through such con- 

 cepts as mutual deterrence and preemptive strikes. The dynamics of a 

 nuclear arms race were dimly perceived at the outset of the nuclear 

 age; even so, it is not clear that awareness of this potential would 

 have prevented its development. In retrospect, it is understandable 

 how the atom bomb, a product of science and technology and a tool of 

 diplomacy, prompted a world drive for control. 



More important to this study is the fact of failure in the initial 

 efforts of this drive. Despite the strong impetus for diplomatic initia- 

 tive in response to a great technological achievement, the negotiations 

 got nowhere then and have made little progress since. A principal aim 

 of the study is to examine the causes of this costly failure in order to 

 provide insights into the interactions among science, technology, and 

 diplomacy when they are confronted with a technological development 

 of the first magnitude — in this case, one with urgent implications for 

 the future of all mankind. 



Definition of the Problem and Scope of the Study 



Because these early efforts to control nuclear weapons occurred more 

 than 25 years ago, much historical discussion has accumulated in pub- 

 lished sources. In light of this fact and considering the purpose of this 

 series of reports, the study will not duplicate the history of these early 

 international negotiations. Rather, it will focus on issues associated 

 with the interaction of science, technology, and diplomacy. 



The advent of the atomic weapon in 1945 represented a unique tech- 

 nological advancement: applications of the newly acquired knowledge 

 regarding atomic energy could serve either constructive or destructive 

 purposes. This factor, combined with the immediate recognition of 

 atomic energy development as a great step forward in man's inquiry 

 into scientific knowledge, signified that such development had political 

 implications of global proportions. Further recognition of the im- 

 portance of the technological development of atomic energy for U.S. 



Note : This chapter was prepared in 1972 by Leneice N. Wu. , 



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