Ambassador Thomas Graham has been involved in almost every significant negotiation of nuclear weapons control for the past 30 years. Graham discussed the ethical issues that arose during his career in the government at a brunch hosted by the Andover Ethics Society in Uncommons last Saturday. He also gave a brief history of nuclear weaponry, starting with the advent of nuclear bombs in 1945. Graham described his experiences negotiating the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, which the United States first signed in 1968 to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons technology. Graham later negotiated the extension of the Non-Proliferation Treaty during its 1995 Review and Extension Conference. During that time, Graham was the Special Representative of the President for Arms Control, Non-Proliferation and Disarmament. Graham said, “I am most proud of my ability as the acting director of the National Arms Committee, initially singlehandedly and then with allies, to push through the American government in order to never test nuclear weaponry again.” Though Graham spoke of his specific experiences at the brunch, he related these experiences with ethical dilemmas he often faced. Graham described an instance when he was forced to break a promise he had made, with the permission of the government, to an ambassador in another country. “I said if they did X, we would do Y. And they did X. But before we were able to do Y, the Secretary of State sent us a notice that we would never do Y. I betrayed my colleague’s trust, but I had no choice. Because of this, I could never work with this ambassador again,” said Graham. Graham said that he likes to persuade students to become involved in the work of nuclear arms negotiations. “It’s interesting work, but it’s filled with ethical issues because this subject is very emotional. There are constant attacks, both from the right wing and left wing,” he said. He said that he received a number of personal attacks while negotiating the Non-Proliferation Treaty. “Even in the worst [period of the accusations], I never regretted what I was doing. Even though it was painful and anxiety-inducing, it was interesting. I always felt like I hadn’t done anything wrong, so I would be okay,” Graham added. In addition to his roles in the U.S. government, Graham has also taught courses at colleges, including the Georgetown University Law Center, Stanford University and University of Virginia School of Law. Graham began his career in arms negotiations by accident. Graham said he always knew he wanted to do international work, but did not know how to become involved. He began his career at an international law firm, but later moved to the United States Arms Control and Disarmament Agency (ACDA). Graham is Andover Ethics Society’s second speaker this term. Kaki Elgin ’09, President of Andover Ethics Society, invited Graham to Andover after hearing about him from her mother. Graham is the husband of the godmother of Elgin’s sister. “I was expecting a shorter narrative and more question time [from Mr. Graham], but I enjoyed his telling these stories,” said Elgin. Scott Shambaugh ’11 said, “I enjoyed his discussions of his experiences in the government. He really brought to life the ethical issues he faced and gave explanations of what to do in such circumstances.” “The most important thing I learned from the brunch was that even in times of trouble, you need to stay true to what you believe in,” Shambaugh added. According to Elgin, most of Andover Ethics Society’s guest speakers have not cost any money, but Abbot Grants and funding from school departments have helped to pay for those speakers who do charge a fee. On November 9, Andover Ethics Society will host Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Kenneth Cooper, who will discuss the media’s involvement in this year’s presidential election.
