Testing, Testing

By CHRISTOPHER JOHN FARLEY

THIS IS HOW AN ARMS RACE BEGINS. RUSSIAN PRESIDENT BORIS YELTSIN has sent word to the White House that if the U.S. lifts its current ban on the testing of nuclear weapons, Russia will also resume testing. Currently, the U.S. military is prohibited from testing until July 1, when the moratorium mandated by Congress ends. The Pentagon wants to resume small-scale testing of bombs under 1 kiloton (explosive force=1,000 tons of TNT). Yeltsin's warning is a signal that if that happens, the nuclear race could be back on.