The demand came in a letter to the president: after WAPO reported last month that the administration had floated the idea "of carrying out the 1st nuclear test explosion since 1992 as a show of force to Moscow& Beijing:"A return to nuclear testing is not only scientifically & technically unnecessary but also dangerously provocative! t would signal to the world that the U.S. no longer has confidence in the safety, security, and effectiveness of our nuclear weapons. It would needlessly antagonize important allies, cause other countries to develop or acquire nuclear weapons, and prompt adversaries to respond in kind—risking a new nuclear arms race and further undermining the global nonproliferation regime. None of these developments would improve America's national security or strengthen its position in the world."