[en] On May 13, 1996, the DOE announced the Record of Decision for the Final Environmental Impact Statement on a Proposed Nuclear Weapons Non-proliferation Policy Concerning Foreign Research Reactor Spent Nuclear Fuel. Based on this Policy and subject to certain conditions, the US accepted and managed, in the US, foreign research reactor MTR fuel, TRIGA fuel and target material that was originally enriched in the US. Under the terms of the Policy, aluminium-clad MTR spent fuel is accepted at DOE's Savannah River Site (SRS) and TRIGA fuel is accepted at the Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory (INEEL). The preparation of spent fuel for shipment off-site is, many cases, a new activity involving higher levels of radioactivity than ever previously handled at the facility. Nowadays, the shipment of spent fuel is a highly regulated activity requiring extensive co-ordination between the reactor facility operating organization and the cask owner/operator; and the transportation company, international, national and local governmental agencies, port authorities and the receiving facility (SRS or INEEL). While the operating organization may use consultants and contractors, it generally has the responsibility for the entire process, including co-ordination. Making arrangements for the first time for the shipment of spent fuel, especially internationally, requires a long lead-time and ample time must be allowed to perform the many procedures and tasks necessary. This paper is a short historical review of pictures showing how were things prior to 1966, because we should not forget that the story start with Eisenhower's 'Atoms for Peace' Address in December 8, 1953, 'The United States knows that peaceful power from atomic energy is no dream of the future... That capability is here today. ... I would be prepared to submit to the Congress ...any such plan that would: ...encourage world-wide investigation into the most effective peace time uses of fissionable material, and with the certainty that they had all the material needed for the conduct of all experiments that were appropriate...'. (author)