The
Baruch Plan (named after the
United States representative to the
United Nations Atomic Energy Commision Bernard Baruch) was the first attempted plan for the
nonproliferation of
nuclear weapons. The plan came together in June of
1946, when the United States proposed a plan to the
UN to place all aspects of
atomic energy under an independent
international authority. It required that all states
cease production of
atomic weapons and deposit all information on the
construction of their weapons with an international
agency to be called the Atomic Development Authority (ADA). Basically, everyone would stop producing
bombs and the
U.S. would get rid of the bombs it possessed at the time. The plan would eliminate the U.S. monopoly of the bomb.
The principal concert of the Soviet Union was to break that monopoly of the most technically advanced information regarding nuclear weapons, but they rejected the plan. The Soviet proposal was for the U.S. to first destroy its nuclear stockpile and materials prior to creation of the ADA. The U.S. refused to consent, believing that the Soviets were stalling for time to make further progress on their own atomic bomb program.
Negotiations came to a stalemate with both sides refusing to relinquish their positions and the first plan for nuclear nonproliferation was never implemented.