TEXT OF PRESIDENT'S STATEMENT ON 23 SEPTEMBER 1949 RE: FIRST RUSSIAN ATOMIC EXPLOSION

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP80R01443R000100010002-9
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 5
• Document Creation Date: December 9, 2016
• Document Release Date: September 24, 1998
• Sequence Number: 2
• Publication Date: September 23, 1949
• Content Type: SPEECH

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TEXT OF PRESIDENTtS STATEMENT ON 23 SEPTEMBER 1949
RE:, FIRST RUSSIAN ATOMIC EXPLOSION
I believe the American people to the fullest extent consistent
with the national security are entitled to be informed of all de-
velopments in the field of atomic energy. That is my reason for
making public the following information.
We have evidence that within recent weeks an atomic explosion
occurred in the U. S. S. R.
Ever since atomic energy was first released by man, the eventual
development of this new force by other nations was to be expected.
This probability has always been taken into account by us.
Nearly four years ago I pointed out that "scientific opinion ap-
pears to be practically unanimous that the essential theoretical
knowledge upon which the discovery is based is already widely
known. There is also substantial agreement that foreign research
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can come abreast of our present theoretical knowledge in time."
And, in. the three-nation declaration of the President of the
United States and the Prime Ministers of the United Kingdom and
of Canada, dated November 15, 1915, it was emphasized that no
single nation could, in fact, have a monopoly of atomic weapons.
This recent development emphasizes once again, if indeed such
emphasis were needed, the necessity for that truly effective and
enforceable international control of atomic enemy which this
Government and the large majority of the members of the United
Nations support.
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Text of announcement by the President on 3 October 1951
re: 2nd Russian atomic explosion.
ttAnother atomic bomb has recently been exploded within the
Soviet Union.
In spite of Soviet pretensions that their atomic energy
program is being directed exclusively toward peaceful purposes,
this event confirms again that the Soviet Union is continuing
to make atomic weapons.
In accordance with the policy of the President to keep
the American people informed to the fullest extent consistent
with our national security, the President has directed. me to
make this statement and to stress again the necessity for that
effective., enforceable international control of atomic energy
which the United States and a large majority of the members of
the United Nations support.
Further details cannot be given without adversely affect-
ing our national security interests."
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Text of announcement by the. President on 22 October 1951
re: 3rd Russian atomic explosion.
"Another atomic explosion has occurred within the Soviet
Union, apparently as a part of a test series.
Of course, there may be more such explosions from time
to time."
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