ABSTRACT
India's 1974 underground nuclear explosion in the desert of Rajasthan brought to an end two decades of stability under the rules of nuclear ethics and international cooperation ushered in by President Eisenhower's Atoms for Peace address. It is interesting to note that it was atlso a nuclear explosion, the first Soviet thermonuclear test in 1953, that had a major role in the decision to go forward with the Atoms for Peace proposal. In my opinion, this proposal resulted in the best solution for global development of nuclear power in a world in which a certain number of major powers are still developing and stockpiling the abominable weapon, while the benefits of nuclear power have yet to reach those developing countries that have the greatest need for energy.
