After years of on-again, off-again negotiations, the Soviet Union, the United Kingdom, and the United States reached an agreement to ban nuclear explosions in the atmosphere, outer space, and under water, and significantly restrict underground testing. The Limited Test Ban Treaty emerged in the aftermath of the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962, which underscored the urgent need to prevent the escalation of nuclear tensions.
The treaty reflected growing international concerns about the dangers of nuclear fallout and sought to curb the testing of nuclear weapons in the most environmentally hazardous ways. France and China, which would become the world’s fourth and fifth nuclear powers respectively the following year, were not signatories to the treaty; however, other nations also participated as non-nuclear powers.
Ultimately, the Limited Test Ban Treaty set a precedent for international cooperation in managing nuclear issues and contributed to the broader efforts towards disarmament and nuclear non-proliferation.
