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Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD)


April 1997 United States Special Weapons
Nuclear, Biological, Chemical and Missile
Proliferation News



  • TERRORISM REMAINS A GLOBAL THREAT By Edmund F. Scherr USIA Staff Writer 30 April 1997 Washington -- The casualties of international terrorism have increased the past year even though the number of attacks have declined, according to the annual U.S. survey of these incidents.
  • NEWS AND VIEWS Summaries of and links to online news reports and commentaries, including: 77% Fear Nuclear, Biological Terrorism , Deterrence in a New Security Environment, and Deterring Iranian NBC Use, April 30, 1997.
  • [TERRORISM EXCERPT] DoD News Briefing Secretary of Defense William S. Cohen Wednesday, April 30, 1997 - 10:30 a.m. (EDT) Q: The District of Columbia, where there was a suspected biological terrorism event, turned out not to be one, but did that offer any lessons about whether or not the United States is prepared adequately to deal with incidents of chemical or biological terrorism?
  • TOWN MEETING ON REORGANIZATION [ACDA EXCERPTS] TRANSCRIPT: 29 April 1997
  • [EXCERPTS] DoD News Briefing Mr. Kenneth H. Bacon, ASD(PA) Tuesday, April 29, 1997 - 3 p.m On Friday there was an incident in downtown Washington involving what was originally thought to be a biological agent, and it was responded to by the FBI and by the District government. The District government is one of... The only city governments, municipal governments, at this point that has received some training from the Pentagon in how to respond to that.
  • [EXCERPT] U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE DAILY BRIEFING DPB # 65 TUESDAY, APRIL 29, 1997 1:23 P.M., including: Secretary meetings with PRC Foreign Minister Qian Qichen, DPRK Food Situation.
  • [EXCERPT] U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE DAILY BRIEFING DPB # 65 TUESDAY, APRIL 29, 1997 1:23 P.M. including: DOS to unveil annual report on Patterns of Global Terrorism: 1996, China's export of chemical weapons equipment, Israel Reports on Syrian Poison Gas.
  • Hard.Copy ARTICLE CITATIONS ARE GATHERED FROM COMMERCIALLY PUBLISHED JOURNALS AND NEWSLETTERS. April 29, 1997
  • [EXCERPTS] U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE DAILY BRIEFING ACDA -- Burns addressed the integration of ACDA into State. BRIEFER: NICHOLAS BURNS MONDAY, APRIL 28, 1997
  • SENATE PANEL APPROVES BILL ON MISSILE DEFENSE The Senate Armed Services Committee April 24 approved legislation (S.7) mandating deployment of a nationwide anti-ballistic missile defense by 2003. The vote was 10-8, along party lines with all committee Democrats opposing the bill. Democrats are expected to filibuster the legislation on the Senate floor. USIA CONGRESSIONAL REPORT, MONDAY, APRIL 28, 1997
  • COHEN/RUSSIA DEFENSE DEFENSE SECRETARY WILLIAM COHEN SAYS HE WILL PLAY HOST TO RUSSIAN DEFENSE MINISTER IGOR RODIONOV FOR PENTAGON TALKS MAY 12TH AND 13TH. A KEY ISSUE WILL BE THE SECURITY OF RUSSIAN NUCLEAR FORCES AMID THE COUNTRY'S ECONOMIC CRISIS. Voice of America 4/28/97
  • COHEN ADDRESS 4/28 AT CONFERENCE ON TERRORISM Athens, Georgia -- Secretary of Defense William S. Cohen said April 28 that Nunn/Lugar II looks to the future to find ways in which the Department of Defense can become involved in dealing with terrorism -- both international and domestic.
  • Space and missile competition celebrates 30 years of excellence VANDENBERG AFB, Calif. (AFNS) -- When the Guardian Challenge events kick off April 29 at Vandenberg Air Force Base, it will mark the 30th anniversary of the space and missile competition. Released: Apr 28, 1997
  • MEMORANDUM FOR CORRESPONDENTS No. 064-M April 24, 1997 04/24/97: General of the Army Igor Sergeyev (SairGUYyef), Commander in Chief, Russian Strategic Rocket Forces, will be visiting the United States from April 28 to May 6.
  • CONGRESS / SPACE STATION MEMBERS OF THE U-S HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES SAY THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION PROGRAM WILL GO ON. THEY ARE SENDING A MESSAGE TO MOSCOW: DO YOUR PART, OR WE WILL BUILD IT WITHOUT YOU. Voice of America 4/24/97
  • NEWS AND VIEWS Summaries of and links to online news reports and commentaries, including: SINO-AMERICAN RELATIONS AND U.S. POLICY OPTIONS, and Russia: Reports That Mir Mission Will Be Canceled Denied. April 24, 1997
  • [EXCERPTS] DEPARTMENT OF STATE DAILY PRESS BRIEFING BRIEFER: NICHOLAS BURNS FRIDAY, APRIL 25, 1997 CWC VOTE -- Burns called the Senate's vote late April 24 to consent to ratification of the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) "one of the significant" foreign policy successes of President Clinton's second term. RUSSIAN DUMA -- Burns said the United States was "extremely disappointed" that Russia's parliament, the Duma, has decided to delay its consideration of the CWC until the fall. . START II, signed by President Bush, needs to be ratified by the Russian DUMA.
  • [EXCERPT] DEPARTMENT OF STATE DAILY BRIEFING BRIEFER: NICHOLAS BURNS THURSDAY, APRIL 24, 1997 STATE DEPT. CONSOLIDATION -- Albright discussed reorganization of U.S.foreign affairs agencies at an April 24 senior staff meeting including assistant secretaries of the State Department. NORTH KOREA No Link Between Humanitarian Food Aid and Four Party Talks.
  • VISIT OF RUSSIAN GENERAL IGOR SERGEYEV Washington -- The U.S. Defense Department announced that General of the Army Igor Sergeyev, commander in chief, Russian Strategic Rocket Forces, will visit the United States April 28-May 6 as part of the continuing military-to-military contact program sponsored under the Nunn-Lugar Cooperative Threat Reduction Program.
  • ADDITIONAL FUNDS ADDED TO COOPERATIVE THREAT REDUCTION PROGRAM IN RUSSIA U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE April 23, 1997. The Defense Department announced that an additional $214.3 million is being applied to the Cooperative Threat Reduction (CTR) agreements with Russia. The additional funds are being provided through amendments to Nuclear Weapons Storage Security Agreement; the Destruction of Chemical Weapons Agreement; the Elimination of Strategic Offensive Arms Agreement; and an agreement that provides assistance in the construction of a storage facility for fissile material derived from dismantled nuclear weapons
  • SPACE CHIEF CALLS ON AIR FORCE TO PREPARE FOR FUTURE IN SPACE April 23, 1997 DIRECTORATE OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS, NORAD/U.S. Space Commandl Release No. 9-97 LAS VEGAS, NEV. -- Gen. Howell M. Estes III, commander of chief of U.S. Space Command, called on the Air Force, the nation and world to fully realize the promise of space in remarks today at the Air Force Association's annual Air Power Symposium in Las Vegas, Nev.
  • [EXCERPT] PRESS BRIEFING BY MIKE MCCURRY WHITE HOUSE The Briefing Room April 23, 1997 Q: Can you say anything else about the reports that China's diverting civilian technology for military purposes? MCCURRY: Not a lot I can say about that because it's been reported that that is a matter that's under investigation.
  • CONGRESS / SPACE STATION THEY CALL IT A "TEMPLE TO TECHNOLOGY" ...AND A "GIANT ERECTOR SET". OPPONENTS OF THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION SAY THEY WILL ONCE AGAIN TRY TO CONVINCE THE U-S CONGRESS TO TERMINATE THE PROJECT. Voice of America. April 23, 1997
  • NEWS AND VIEWS Summaries of and links to online news reports and commentaries, including, DOD Domestic Preparedness Background Briefing, RUSSIA NATO SMF SERGEYEV, Russia will remain a space power, Space station Mir may have to be abandoned, Mir repairs difficult, crew may have to evacuate, and Cheyenne Mountain Additional Security Measures Removed. April 22, 1997
  • NASA Concurs with Independent Review of Bion 11 Mission NASA Headquarters, April 22, 1997 RELEASE: 97-77 NASA is suspending its participation in primate research on the Bion 12 mission, part of an international project to study the physiological effects of low gravity and space radiation. NASA's decision is based on the recommendations of an independent review board requested by the Agency to look into the post-flight death of a rhesus monkey following the successful flight and landing of the Bion 11 satellite.
  • [EXCERPTS] DEPARTMENT OF STATE DAILY PRESS BRIEFING BRIEFER: NICHOLAS BURNS MONDAY, APRIL 21, 1997 Albright met on April 21 with USIA Director Joseph Duffey, ACDA Director John Holum, and acting USAID Administrator Joseph Buckley to discuss the reorganization of foreign affairs agencies. Burns was asked to respond to warnings of a high-level North Korean defector who has told the media that the Democratic People's Republic of Korea is ready to go to war with the Republic of Korea.
  • NEWS AND VIEWS Summaries of and links to online news reports and commentaries, including: Israel reportedly helped South Africa develop nuclear weapons, LEAKAGE OF SCIENTISTS FROM RUSSIA, Volume #7 (Precision Guided Weapons and Ammunition). 21 April 1997
  • CLINTON ADMINISTRATION ANNOUNCES FOREIGN AFFAIRS REORGANIZATION (USIA, ACDA to merge with State, AID more closely aligned) By Wendy S. Ross USIA White House Correspondent - 18 April 1997 Washington -- The Clinton administration April 18 announced a plan to reorganize the United States foreign affairs community by merging two independent foreign affairs agencies into a revitalized State Department, and aligning a third more closely with it.
  • FACT SHEET Reinventing STATE, ACDA, USIA and AID THE WHITE HOUSE Office of the Press Secretary April 18, 1997 The era of big government is over. -- Bill Clinton President Clinton's plan brings an end to bureaucracies originally designed for the Cold War, streamlines the Executive Branch's policy-making process, and enhances our nation's ability to meet the growing foreign policy challenges of the 21st century.
  • GORE STATEMENT ON STATE DEPARTMENT REINVENTION Washington April 18, 1997-- Vice President Gore says "the President and I believe we have an historic opportunity to systematically reinvent the agencies which implement the nation's foreign policies in order to ensure that they can effectively confront the new and pressing challenges of the post-Cold War world.
  • NEWS AND VIEWS Summaries of and links to online news reports and commentaries, including: Lester L. Lyles, Director, BMDO - House Appropriations, and Acquisition Reform Day 2 at SSDC, April 18, 1997.
  • Hard.Copy ARTICLE CITATIONS ARE GATHERED FROM COMMERCIALLY PUBLISHED JOURNALS AND NEWSLETTERS. April 18, 1997
  • NASA AND AIR FORCE SPACE COMMAND ANNOUNCE COOPERATIVE EFFORTS NASA and the Air Force Space Command have agreed to work together in several areas of mutual interest in the hopes of saving both organizations costs and sharing in new technologies to benefit future spaceflight and spacecraft. April 18, 1997
  • NEWS AND VIEWS Summaries of and links to online news reports and commentarie, including Senate Sets Chemical Arms Pact Vote and Clinton Agrees to Shift Foreign Policy Agencies. April 18, 1997
  • WHITE HOUSE BRIEFING BY KAMARCK AND MCCURRY White House Press Secretary Mike McCurry and Vice President Gore's Senior Policy Advisor and reinvention of government guru, Dr. Elaine Kamarck, briefed April 18.
  • DEPARTMENT OF STATE DAILY PRESS BRIEFING Friday, April 18, 1997 Briefer: Nicholas Burns Reorganization of Foreign Affairs Agencies According to Burns, ACDA will be fully integrated into the State Department -- probably with the State Department's Political-Military (PolMil) Bureau -- within one year; its director will hold the dual position of Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security Affairs.
  • [EXCERPTS] PRESS BRIEFING BY MIKE MCCURRY President Clinton was "exuberant" about the foreign policy dialogue he and his foreign policy team held April 16 with some three dozen leading members of Congress. THE WHITE HOUSE April 17, 1997
  • NEWS AND VIEWS, Part 1 Summaries of and links to online news reports and commentaries. April 17, 1997
  • NEWS AND VIEWS, Part 2 Summaries of and links to online news reports and commentaries. April 17, 1997
  • [EXCERPTS] PRESS BRIEFING BY MIKE MCCURRY Proliferation concerns, training emergency response teams on potential threats such as chemical weapons, working dinner to discuss resources to support diplomacy to U.N. arrears to the CWC, Mexico and some of the President's interests in the Latin America trip, engagement with Asia and the Pacific community. THE WHITE HOUSE, The Briefing Room, April 16, 1997
  • DEPARTMENT OF STATE DAILY PRESS BRIEFING KOREA (NORTH), MISSILE TECHNOLOGY CONTROL REGIME (MTCR), RUSSIA/IRAN, IRAN, Briefer: Nicholas Burns, Wednesday, April 16, 1997
  • Domestic Preparedness Background Briefing - Wednesday, April 16, 1997 - 1 p.m. (EDT)
  • DEPARTMENT OF STATE PRESS BRIEFING KOREA (NORTH), IRAN, CHINA/EINHORN, Tuesday, April 15, 1997 Briefer: Nicholas Burns
  • NEWS AND VIEWS Summaries of and links to online news reports and commentaries, including: Air force commander: Iran tested component for long-range missile, Foreign Monsters, False Alarms, Ukraine Decides Not to Provide Reactor Parts to Iran, North Korea threatens to give up contacts with U.S., U.S. May Boost N. Korean Food Aid, N. Korean grain output possibly used up by this month, Romancing chemical warfare, and Top U.S. envoy urges Senate to ratify chemical pact. April 15, 1997
  • Hard.Copy ARTICLE CITATIONS GATHERED FROM COMMERCIALLY PUBLISHED JOURNALS AND NEWSLETTERS, April 15, 1997
  • NEWS AND VIEWS Summaries of and links to online news reports and commentaries. April 14, 1997
  • NEWS AND VIEWS Summaries of and links to online news reports and commentaries. April 11, 1997
  • Good News and Bad Updates on U.S. DOE, DOD, House NSC websites, 11 April 1997
  • DEPARTMENT OF STATE DAILY PRESS BRIEFING CHINA/IRAN: Help to Iran for Nuclear & Biological Weapons Stockpile BRIEFER: NICHOLAS BURNS FRIDAY, APRIL 11, 1997
  • REPORT ON STATE DEPARTMENT NOON BRIEFING, APRIL 10, 1997 There was no regular briefing, but State Department Spokesman Nicholas Burns did speak on-the-record with reporters on Korea, Germany/Iran, NATO/Solana, Iraq, and Zaire. No transcript is available of this briefing.
  • NEWS AND VIEWS Summaries of and links to online news reports and commentaries. April 10, 1997
  • Release of Foreign Relations of the United States, 1964-1968, Volume XI, Arms Control and Disarmament. Successful negotiations concluding with the signing of the Outer Space Treaty (1967) and the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (1968) as well as the significant progress made by the Lyndon B. Johnson administration on other arms limitation negotiations that produced additional international agreements in subsequent years are the major themes of Foreign Relations of the United States, 1964-1968, Volume XI, Arms Control and Disarmament, released today. U.S. Department of State Office of the Spokesman For Immediate Release: April 9, 1997
  • NEWS AND VIEWS Summaries of and links to online news reports and commentaries. April 9, 1997
  • NASA REVISES INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION SCHEDULE NASA will begin its on-orbit assembly of the International Space Station (ISS) no later than October 1998, and is looking at options that will allow the Agency to work around the delay caused by the late arrival of a key station module. RELEASE: 97-65, April 9, 1997
  • MORNINGSTAR DEFENDS AID INCREASE FOR NIS, BUT PANEL SKEPTICAL Washington -- Three senior Clinton administration officials asked the House Subcommittee on Foreign Operations to support an increase of nearly $300 million in assistance to the New Independent States (NIS) in fiscal year 1998, but Subcommittee Chairman Sonny Callahan (Republican-Alabama) made it clear he would agree only to maintain the current funding level of $625 million. (House subcommittee hearing April 9)
  • U-S / SPACE STATION (L-ONLY) THE U-S SPACE AGENCY NASA SAYS THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION WILL BE DELAYED ALMOST A YEAR BY RUSSIA'S FINANCIAL PROBLEMS. Voice of America, DAVID SWAN, CAPITOL HILL, 4/9/97
  • [EXCERPTS] DEPARTMENT OF STATE DAILY PRESS BRIEFING Briefer: Nicholas Burns, Wednesday, April 9, 1997
  • NEWS AND VIEWS Summaries of and links to online news reports and commentaries. April 8, 1997
  • Hard Copy Current Contents ARTICLE CITATIONS GATHERED FROM COMMERCIALLY PUBLISHED JOURNALS AND NEWSLETTERS April 8, 1997
  • [EXCERPTS] U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE DAILY PRESS BRIEFING NORTH KOREA: Meeting 4/4/97 in New York with DPRK, ROK: Four-Party Talks; Participants; Missile Talks, DPRK Food Shortages; U.S. $10 Million Aid Commitment; WFP Distribution Program, UN Interagency Food Appeal. DPB #50 MONDAY, APRIL 7, 1997, 1:18 P. M.
  • NEWS AND VIEWS Summaries of and links to online news reports and commentaries. April 7, 1997
  • Subject: Strengthened IAEA Safeguards System Approved On April 4, the IAEA's special committee on strengthening the IAEA's safeguards program approved a draft model protocol which will give the IAEA Secretariat authority to implement a wide range of new measures designed to provide high confidence assurances of the absence of a clandestine nuclear explosive program in countries with comprehensive NPT safeguards obligations. From: Marvin R. Peterson Senior Science Attache U.S. Mission to the IAEA, Date : 6 April 1997
  • NEWS AND VIEWS Summaries of and links to online news reports and commentaries. April 6, 1997
  • CULT DEATHS IN CALIFORNIA "EXPERTS SAY NOT ALL CULTS ARE DANGEROUS. YET, AS THE YEAR TWO-THOUSAND NEARS, THEY SAY THERE IS NO TELLING WHAT SOME GROUPS MAY DO IF THEY BELIEVE IT IS THE END OF THE WORLD." Voice of America 04-05-97
  • [EXCERPTS] DEPARTMENT OF STATE DAILY PRESS BRIEFING " ... the Department of State is mandated by the Congress to publish a history of the foreign relations of the United States. Our most recent volume that we are issuing today is quite significant. It's a volume on the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962. This volume provides the most comprehensive, historical record of the entire confrontation between the United States and the Soviet Union over Cuba back in 1962. October 16-28, 1962, was the most intense period of the crisis." BRIEFER: NICHOLAS BURNS FRIDAY, APRIL 4, 1997
  • U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE DAILY PRESS BRIEFING BRIEFER: NICHOLAS BURNS THURSDAY, APRIL 3, 1997 IRAQ -- Saddam Hussein's Control in Iraq, Secretary's Georgetown University Speech on U.S. Iraq Policy, Iraq and the Middle East Peace Process, NORTH KOREA -- Schedule of KEDO Meetings
  • DOD HOSTS THIRD CHEMICAL DEMIL ENVIRONMENTAL FORUM Reference Number: No. 152-97 April 3, 1997. Today, the Department of Defense hosted the Third Chemical Demilitarization Environmental Forum in Birmingham, Ala.
  • NEWS AND VIEWS Summaries of and links to online news reports and commentaries. April 2, 1997
  • NEWS AND VIEWS Summaries of and links to online news reports and commentaries. April 1, 1997
  • HARDCOPY Current Contents, April 1, 1997
  • DOD News Release Contract Number: No. 148-97 April 1, 1997 CONTRACTS Systems Research Laboratories, Inc., Dayton, Ohio, is being awarded a $24,000,000 cost plus fixed fee contract to provide for the Electromagnetic Radiation Research of the Bioeffects of Directed Energy. Boeing North American, Inc., Canoga Park, Calif., is being awarded a $49,700,000 cost plus fixed fee contract to provide research and development support for the Development of Integrated Component Experiments (DICE) program.
  • [EXCERPTS] DoD News Briefing Mr. Kenneth H. Bacon, ASD (PA) Tuesday, April 1, 1997 - 1:30 p.m. There's a piece in the Washington Times about evidence that Moscow has had an aggressive underground bunker-building program going on with four separate projects in and around Moscow, and also a related story about there having been at least four alerts during the 1990s when Russian nuclear weapons were placed on a higher-level alert.



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