CAMPAIGN ’88 : Bush, Dukakis Letters Explain Test-Ban Stance

Vice President George Bush stated his opposition to a comprehensive ban on testing nuclear weapons while Democratic Presidential nominee Michael S. Dukakis repeated his stand in favor of such a prohibition, according to letters from the two candidates received Thursday by International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War, a group promoting a test ban.

In his letter Bush called a ban an “ultimate goal” but said “without testing there could be a growing loss of confidence in the reliability of existing nuclear weapons, leading to pressure to add additional weapons to the stockpiles.”

Dukakis said a ban “is essential if we are to end the nuclear arms race,” arguing that enough tests have been conducted and that a ban “would end the illusion that nuclear security can be achieved through the technological fix of new nuclear weapons.”