Draft of President Eisenhower’s “Atoms for Peace” Address to the United Nations (1953)

Date: November 28, 1953

Created By: Dwight D. Eisenhower

Original or Replica: Original

Era: The Cold War, The Presidency

Collection: Eisenhower Presidential Library

Citations: C.D. Jackson Papers, Box 30, ‘Atoms for Peace – Evolution (5)’; NAID #12021574

This document is Draft #5 of President Dwight D. Eisenhower’s address to the United Nations General Assembly, prepared on November 28, 1953, just days before he delivered his historic “Atoms for Peace” speech on December 8. Marked Top Secret, the draft contains extensive handwritten edits and revisions, revealing how the administration refined one of the most influential Cold War speeches of the twentieth century.

The draft acknowledges the growing danger of the nuclear arms race, emphasizing the destructive capabilities of both the United States and the Soviet Union while arguing that military superiority alone could not guarantee lasting peace. It proposes expanding international cooperation, continuing diplomatic negotiations with the Soviet Union, and transforming atomic energy from a weapon of war into a force for peaceful purposes. The draft also introduces the idea of placing fissionable materials under an international authority to promote scientific research, electrical power generation, and global development rather than military competition.