IntroductionOn August 6, 1945, the United States dropped a weapon on the Japanese city of Hiroshima, the likes of which the world had never seen. Then, on August 9, a second weapon was deployed against the Japanese, in Nagasaki. The weapons used were atomic bombs: nuclear fission devices capable of enormous destructive capabilities. It is estimated that more than 250,000 Japanese citizens died as a result of the dropping of the two bombs. While the use of these weapons led to the end of the Second World War, it also pushed the world into the nuclear age in which man had the power to destroy cities and, in some cases, ensure the destruction of entire nations. II, The Limited Test Ban Treaty was developed to limit destructive testing of nuclear weapons by countries around the world. This article will examine the history of the Limited Nuclear Test-Ban Treaty, as well as the current and future status of this treaty, which remains in flux to this day. HistoryAfter World War II the United States and several other nations, including the Soviet Union, continued the development and testing of nuclear weapons. In 1952 and 1953, respectively, the United States and the Soviet Union exploded the first hydrogen bombs, which proved more powerful than the weapons used against Japan. At this time, concerns were growing about the amount and effects of nuclear fallout produced by these weapons. In 1955, a group of five countries including the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, France, and the Soviet Union formed a committee under the United Nations Disarmament Commission to discuss ceasing nuclear weapons testing. The committee made little progress in the following years due to disagreements over… halfway through the document… The United States, Israel, and the United Kingdom had not ratified the treaty. President Obama, in his second term, is pushing for both the ratification of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty and the reduction of nuclear weapons. Before ratification can occur, however, the treaty must be debated and voted on in the Senate, which is unlikely to happen in the foreseeable future. nuclear tests. It offers provisions for the safe and responsible testing of nuclear weapons and at the same time pushes for nuclear disarmament. Although amendments have been proposed that would lead to a complete moratorium on nuclear testing, this comprehensive nuclear test ban treaty has not entered into force and likely will not within the next few years..