Open Skies For Peace in the Age of Nuclear Weapons

Contributing to the development of peace worldwide by the creation of an Open Skies regime for aerial observation.

U.S. Air Force Photo by Master Sgt. Dave Nolan

From left to right: Russian Premier Nikolai Bulganin, United States President Dwight D. Eisenhower, French Premier Edgar Faure, British Prime Minister Sir Anthony Eden at the 1955 Geneva Conference. At this conference Eisenhower put forth the “Open Skies” plan. (National Archives 59-G-VS-732-55)

The 1955 Geneva Conference and Open Skies

President Eisenhower Discusses the Geneva Conference

View a film about the 1992 Open Skies Treaty

Click here to listen to an excerpt from President Eisenhower's "Chance for Peace" speech on April 16, 1953. The President discusses hopes for peace and disarmament almost two years before the "open skies" proposal. (Courtesy Eisenhower Library) Click here to listen to President Eisenhower discuss the possibility of a peace conference with the Soviet Union on March 23, 1955. (Courtesy Eisenhower Library) Click here to listen to President Eisenhower discuss nuclear weapons at a press conference on March 23, 1955. (Courtesy Eisenhower Library) Click here to listen to an excerpt from President Eisenhower's speech in Rutland, Vermont on June 22, 1955. The month prior to the "open skies" proposal President Eisenhower visited several of the New England states. (Courtesy Eisenhower Library) Click here to listen to President Eisenhower discuss disarmament and inspection at a July 6, 1955 press conference. This press conference took place several weeks before the "open skies" proposal at the Geneva Conference. (Courtesy Eisenhower Library) Click here to listen to President Eisenhower discuss the importance of building trust with the Soviet Union at a July 6, 1955 press conference. (courtesy Eisenhower Library) Click here to listen to an excerpt from President Eisenhower's address to the nation prior to the Geneva Conference. (courtesy Eisenhower Library) Click here to listen to President Eisenhower's address to the nation on July 25, 1955 discussing the Geneva Conference, disarmament and the "Open Skies" proposal. (courtesy Eisenhower Library) Click here to listen to President Eisenhower discuss disarmament at a press conference on May 22, 1957. (Courtesy Eisenhower Library) Click here to listen to President Eisenhower announce the first nuclear weapons free zone treaty during the State of the Union Address in 1960. This treaty included aerial inspection provisions along the lines of the "Open Skies" proposal. (Courtesy Eisenhower Library) Click here to listen to President Eisenhower discuss open skies in an address to the nation about the U-2 incident during May, 1960. (Courtesy Eisenhower Library) Click here to listen to President Eisenhower's entire speech about the U-2 incident. (Courtesy Eisenhower Library) Click here for information about the United Nations publication titled "Open Skies: A Cooperative Approach to Military Transparency and Confidence Building." Click here to read a memorandum of a meeting of President Eisenhower and his advisors discussing "Open Skies" at the Geneva Conference. (Courtesy Eisenhower Library) Click here to visit the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute's web page on the Open Skies Treaty. This page contains information about a seminar on the Open Skies Treaty held in December 2004. Click here to read a 1956 memorandum prepared by one of President Eisenhower's assistants, Andrew Goodpaster, on the topic of confidence building measures and disarmament. (courtesy Eisenhower Library) Click here to listen to President Eisenhower in an address to the nation about the Suez Crisis on October 31, 1956. (Courtesy Eisenhower Library). Click here to read excerpts from an "Open Skies for Peace" pamphlet published during the Eisenhower administration. (courtesy of The National Archives of the UK (PRO): ref. FO371/123712) Click here to read excerpts from a memorandum of a conversation at the President's luncheon for the Russian delegation at the Geneva Conference on July 20, 1955. (courtesy Eisenhower Library) [ CLOSE WINDOW ] If you didn't open this page from the main Lambers Publications website, then use this link to go there.

(National Archives NWDNS-111-SC-432602) Click here to listen to President Eisenhower discuss the “open skies” proposal at a press conference on August 7, 1957. (courtesy Eisenhower Library) Click here to listen to President Eisenhower's statement on disarmament as read by the White House press secretary on August 28, 1957. (Courtesy National Archives). Available at Amazon.com Click here to read the book Open Skies for Peace at Scribd.com (U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Howard Blair) 1992 Open Skies Treaty Fact Sheet Click here to read pages from 1992 Senate hearings on the Open Skies Treaty. These are answers from the Bush adminstration about Open Skies and how it can relate to the START Treaty and also potential expansion. (courtesy Cincinnati Public Library) (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Daniel C. Perez) Open Skies Treaty Review Conference Russian "Open Skies" mission over the United States. "Open Skies" can play a role in the Korean peace and disarmament process. Click here to read the article in the San Diego Union-Tribune. Article in the Cincinnati Post titled "Open Skies to Build Trust." article about the Open Skies Treaty and its 500th flight Report by Tony D. Holmes, Major, USAF titled "Relevance of the Open Skies Treaty Program In the Twenty-First Century." article in July 22nd, 1955 Cincinnati Post about Ike's "Open Skies" proposal. courtesy Cincinnati Public Library Over a month before the Open Skies proposal this article appeared in the Cincinnat Post (June 14, 1955) about Operation Alert, a civil defense drill against nuclear attack. courtesy Cincinnati Public Library

---

Web site Copyright © 2008, 2009 by William Lambers