WMD 411 Chronology — 1989

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Produced by the Monterey Institute's Center for Nonproliferation Studies

KEY: [B] Biological, [C] Chemical, [M] Missile, [N] Nuclear, [O] Organization [T] Terrorism

Jan 7-11 1989 [C] One hundred and forty-nine nations meet at a conference in Paris to restore respect for the Geneva Protocol and its prohibition against the use of CW. In a concluding document, the nations "solemnly affirm their commitments not to use chemical weapons," and stress "the necessity of concluding, at an early date, a convention on the prohibition of the development, production, stockpiling, transfer, and use of all chemical weapons, and on their destruction."

Feb 9 1989 [M] U.S. President George Bush announces that he will continue the Strategic Defense Initiative, a research program to study the feasibility of defensive measures against ballistic missiles.

Feb 9 1989 [C] U.S. President Bush declares that "chemical weapons (CW) must be banned from the face of the earth, never to be used again."

March 6 1989 [C] In Vienna, U.S. Secretary of State James Baker calls for an international conference of government and industry to consider ways to curb the proliferation of chemicals used to produce CW. Secretary Baker also announces that the United States will explore ways and means to accelerate the current withdrawal schedule of U.S. CW from West Germany. The United States calls on the Soviet Union to withdraw and destroy its "excessive stocks" of CW.

April 7 1989 [N] Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev announces that the Soviet Union will cease production of enriched weapons-grade uranium. That same day, the Soviet nuclear submarine Komsomolets sinks 300 miles off the Norwegian coast, killing 42 crewmen and potentially leaking radiation from its reactors into the sea.

June 12 1989 [O] The United States and Soviet Union sign the Dangerous Military Activities Agreement, which commits both nations to seek to prevent four types of dangerous military activities during peacetime: unintentional or emergency entry into the national territory of the other side; hazardous use of laser devices; disruption of military operations in a mutually agreed upon "Special Caution Area;" and interference with the command and control networks of either side.

July 5 1989 [M] Israel and South Africa are reported to have collaborated on the test of nuclear-capable missile.

July 27 1989 [N] The U.S. House of Representatives approves the Wyden Amendment, urging President George Bush to negotiate a bilateral ban with the Soviet Union to phase out the production of plutonium and highly enriched uranium (HEU) for weapons purposes.

Sept 18-22 1989 [C] Sixty-seven nations attend an International Government-Industry Conference Against Chemical Weapons hosted by the Australian government in Canberra. In a statement issued by the conference, chemical industry participants: (1) express their willingness to work for an early conclusion of a global CW ban; (2) oppose misuse of industrial products for the dangerous proliferation of CW; (3) commit industry to continue its dialogue with governments on ways to implement a CW convention; and (4) accept a self-policing role.

Sept 22 1989 [M] During two days of meetings between U.S. Secretary of State James Baker and Soviet Foreign Minister Eduard Shevardnadze, the Soviet Union agrees to drop its linkage between achieving an agreement on the future of ABM systems and completing and implementing START. The Soviet Union indicates, however, that it reserves the right to withdraw from START if the United States does not abide by the ABM Treaty.

Sept 23 1989 [C] The United States and the Soviet Union issue a Memorandum of Understanding, providing for a bilateral verification experiment and data exchange on their chemical weapons and facilities.

Sept 25 1989 [C] Speaking to the United Nations, President Bush reaffirms the U.S. commitment to a multilateral treaty to eliminate CW in 10 years provided all CW states become parties to the treaty.

Sept 26 1989 [N] In an address to the UN General Assembly (UNGA), Soviet Foreign Minister Eduard Shevardnadze voices support for a "verifiable cessation of the production of fissionable material for weapons purposes."

Oct 19 1989 [N] The final Soviet underground nuclear test occurs at the Semipalatinsk testing site in Kazakhstan.

Dec 29 1989 [C] The United States and Soviet Union exchange data on each country's aggregate stockpile size; the types of agents; percent of chemical agents in munitions, devices, or bulk containers; location of storage, production, and destruction facilities; and types of munitions at each storage facility.

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This material is produced independently for NTI by the Center for Nonproliferation Studies at the Monterey Institute of International Studies and does not necessarily reflect the opinions of and has not been independently verified by NTI or its directors, officers, employees, agents. Copyright © 2008 by MIIS.