Which treaty prohibited atmospheric nuclear tests and was signed in 1963?

• A. Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty
• B. Partial Test Ban Treaty (Nuclear Test Ban Treaty)
• C. Strategic Arms Limitation Talks Treaty
• D. Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty

Answer: (B)

Banning nuclear tests in the atmosphere was achieved by the Partial Test Ban Treaty, signed in 1963 by the United States, the United Kingdom, and the Soviet Union. It outlawed nuclear explosions in the atmosphere, in outer space, and underwater to reduce radioactive fallout that affected people worldwide. Underground testing was still allowed, which is why it isn’t a blanket, all-environment ban. The other treaties either address different goals (like preventing spread of nuclear weapons in the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty) or were signed later (the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty), or deal with different aspects of arms control (SALT). So the treaty that matches the description—prohibiting atmospheric tests and signed in 1963—is the Partial Test Ban Treaty.