Intended for secondary and college level students and teachers, this guide discusses the nuclear arms control issue. There are four sections. Section I discusses U.S. nuclear strategy from 1945 to the present, strategic nuclear weapons competition between the United States and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (U.S.S.R.), U.S. administrations and U.S.S.R. counterparts, and international concerns. Section II examines characteristics of nuclear weaponry, the MX missile, defense systems, and the source of authorization for the release of U.S. nuclear weapons. Section III focuses on the negotiating process, SALT talks, verification, existing treaties and agreements, ongoing arms control negotiations, and violation concerns. Topics discussed in the concluding section, section IV, include the effects of nuclear war and civil defense. Arms control terms are defined, and acronyms used in nuclear weapons issues are listed. An index is provided. (RM)