Today in History: Kennedy’s “Peace Speech”

President John F. Kennedy delivered his famous American University commencement address on June 10, 1963. This is often referred to as Kennedy’s “peace speech” (it’s actual title was “A Strategy for Peace”). The president’s commencement address was unusual for its peaceful outreach to the Soviet Union during the height of the Cold War

President Kennedy outlined a plan to curb nuclear arms, and he announced that he agreed to negotiate with the Soviets for an “early agreement on a comprehensive test ban treaty,” which became the Nuclear Test-Ban Treaty of 1963 (it also included the U.K.). This is the grandfather of the treaty President Trump is eager to violate when he calls for a resumption of nuclear testing.

The current operative treaty is the 1996 Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty. Russia and China signed it, and although the U.S. signed the treaty, the Senate did not ratify it. China also failed to ratify the treaty. All three nations claim to honor the testing moratorium, although there are frequent accusations of violations.

Mr. Kennedy also announced his decision to unilaterally suspend all U.S. atmospheric testing of nuclear weapons as long as other nations followed suit. Mr. Kennedy said the United States was seeking “complete disarmament” of nuclear weapons, and that America “will never start a war.” Of course, we violated that promise not long after Mr. Kennedy’s assassination.