What was JFK about to order to stop testing nuclear weapons?

• A. Atomic Energy Commission
• B. National Security Council
• C. Central Intelligence Agency
• D. Department of Defense

Answer: (A)

The main idea here is who actually has the authority to halt nuclear weapons tests. In the United States during the early Cold War, the Atomic Energy Commission directed all aspects of nuclear weapons development, production, and testing, and it set the rules and moratoriums for tests. If President Kennedy was about to order an end to testing, the order would go to the agency that controls and regulates those tests, which is the Atomic Energy Commission. The other options play important roles in national security or operations, but they do not hold the authority to stop nuclear tests or set testing policy directly: the National Security Council advises on policy, the CIA handles intelligence, and the Department of Defense conducts military operations, but the regulatory authority over nuclear testing lay with the Atomic Energy Commission. This understanding fits the era’s push toward testing limits and eventual treaty negotiations.