Several studies and a number of public statements by senior military and political personalities testify that - except for disputes between the present nuclear states - all military conflicts as well as threats to peace can be dealt with using conventional weapons.

I've also gotten to play in front of a million people in Central Park when there was a grass roots movement calling for nuclear disarmament - it was about 1982 - they called it Peace Sunday.

Smiling is very important. If we are not able to smile then the world will not have peace. It is not by going out for a demonstration against nuclear missiles that we can bring about peace. It is with our capacity of smiling breathing and being peace that we can make peace.

When I was in the White House I was confronted with the challenge of the Cold War. Both the Soviet Union and I had 30 000 nuclear weapons that could destroy the entire earth and I had to maintain the peace.

Ours is a world of nuclear giants and ethical infants. We know more about war that we know about peace more about killing that we know about living.

When we think of the major threats to our national security the first to come to mind are nuclear proliferation rogue states and global terrorism. But another kind of threat lurks beyond our shores one from nature not humans - an avian flu pandemic.

I can tell you one thing Iran is closer to developing nuclear weapons today than it was a week ago or a month ago or a year ago. It's just moving on with its efforts.

The growth of technology is such that it is not possible today for a nuclear physicist to switch into medical physics without training. The field is now much more technical. More training is needed to do the job.

Let me remind you that nuclear disarmament is not just an ardent desire of the people as expressed in many resolutions of the United Nations. It is a legal commitment by the five official nuclear states entered into when they signed the Non-Proliferation Treaty.

As a part of preparing those lawsuits learning about those lawsuits I learned about the various nuclear issues in parts of the nuclear production process I guess you'd say.

All mankind is now learning that these nuclear weapons can only serve to destroy never become beneficial.

At a time when we are facing threats from nations such as North Korea and Iran and attempting to convince others such as India and Pakistan to become responsible nuclear powers it is vital that America reclaims the leadership we once had on arms control.

Instead of starting a new nuclear arms race now is the time to reclaim our Nation's position of leadership on nuclear nonproliferation efforts.

I hope to attend it as Japan needs to tell the world the lessons knowledge and reflections learned from the nuclear crisis at the Fukushima No. 1 power plant.

When I entered medical physics in 1958 there were fewer than 100 in the U.S. and I could see many opportunities to apply my knowledge of nuclear physics.

I hope that none of the countries in the Middle East are planning anything but the peaceful utilization of nuclear energy.

Today I can declare my hope and declare it from the bottom of my heart that we will eventually see the time when that number of nuclear weapons is down to zero and the world is a much better place.