International Cooperation in Locating and Recovering Stolen Nuclear Materials.

With the expansion of terrorist activities in the last fifteen years there has been increasing concern that groups might be able to steal nuclear materials and use nuclear weapons for terrorist purposes. The last fifteen years have also seen growing criminal activity in the nuclear domain including thefts of nuclear material, attacks on nuclear facilities, and threats against American cities, although these latter threats turned out to be hoaxes. Nuclear experts have stated that a relatively few technicians could fabricate a nuclear bomb. The principal impediment is access to nuclear material. Although terrorists usually would not be able to further their aims by threats of mass destruction, it is increasingly conceivable that some group might go for the nuclear jackpot. Congress has recently passed legislation designed to protect nuclear materials and to make nuclear thefts and threats subject to severe penalties. This legislation is geared into a recent U.N. convention providing for international cooperation on protecting nuclear materials for peaceful purposes and prosecuting nuclear crimes. Action still needs to be taken, however, to implement a 1982 Nunn Amendment to the Defense Appropriations Bill which calls for the Secretary of Defense to make a study of the feasibility of a nuclear crisis control center for sharing information and monitoring nuclear incidents. The center would help contain such incidents and prevent them from escalating into an international crisis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]