- WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Defense
Secretary Donald Rumsfeld on Thursday refused to rule out the U.S. use
of nuclear weapons in the possible war with Iraq, but noted atomic weapons
have not been unleashed in hostilities since 1945.
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- "Our policy historically has been generally that
we will not foreclose the possible use of nuclear weapons if attacked,"
Rumsfeld said at a hearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee.
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- He said the United States would not "rule out various
options," but said "those weapons ... have not been fired in
anger since 1945."
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- Rumsfeld's comments came during questioning by Sen. Edward
Kennedy, a Massachusetts Democrat, who expressed alarm that the Bush administration
may be considering lowering the threshold for possible use of nuclear weapons.
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- "As you well understand, the nuclear weapon is not
just another weapon in an arsenal. And until now we've always kept them
in a class of their own for good reason because of the enormous destructive
power and our profound commitment to do all we can to see that they are
never used again," Kennedy said.
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- Rumsfeld said, "Does the (Defense) department have
an obligation and have they in successive administrations of both political
parties had procedures whereby we would conceivably use nuclear weapons?
Yes."
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- Kennedy then asked whether the United States was "seriously
considering using any nuclear weapons against Iraq?"
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- "The only person in the United States who has the
power to use weapons of that nature is the president of the United States,"
the defense secretary responded. "It seems to me that if one looks
at our record, we went through the Korean War, we went through the Vietnam
War, we've gone through the war on terror and we've not used nuclear weapons.
That ought to say something about the threshold with respect to nuclear
weapons."
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- Rumsfeld added, "We have every confidence that in
the event force is to be used in Iraq that we can do what needs to be done
using conventional capabilities."
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- The only use of nuclear weapons in wartime came in August
1945 when the United States used atomic bombs against two Japanese cities,
Hiroshima and Nagasaki, during World War Two.
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- The United States is assembling a large military force
in the Gulf region for a possible war with Iraq.
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- President George W. Bush has said the United States will
lead a coalition to topple Saddam Hussein if the Iraqi president fails
to comply with U.N. resolutions requiring him to give up any weapons of
mass destruction.
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- Iraq denies possessing such arms.
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