To the Editor:

I must strongly disagree with Kevin Kirby when he states that “France (was/is) justified in testing nuclear weapons.”

Although (French President) Jacques Chirac would most certainly greet an article such as his with ringing approval, the rest of the world should rightly condemn it.

Kirby has a valid point when he refers to the fact that nuclear weapons have served their role as deterents admirably since the end of World War II.

The threat of nuclear obliteration most assuredly contributed to the lack of a superpower confrontation throughout the forty year cold war.

However, in light of the end of the cold war, the continued testing of nuclear weapons by a western power such as France does more harm than good.

As a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council, it is the responsibility of France to show the world that the time for nuclear weapons has passed.

It seems disingenuous for the U.N. to condemn the nuclear aspirations of contries such as Iraq, North Korea or Pakistan while a charter member continues to test weapons.

In addition to weakening the hand of the U.N., Frances chooses to test on

an island thousands of miles from its shores but only hundreds of miles from inhabited islands. This reeks of colonialism.

It could be argued that nuclear weapons were once a necessary evil for survival in an uncertain world. That arguement rings very hollow these days.

Lars Ewell

Grad Student

Physics