Detroit evening times., 1945-10-15


on Sept. 1:
A NNOUNCER-Th National Broadcasting
"A Company presents Rupert Hughes
soldier novelist, historian and humorist--
Mr.. Hughes-I remember one furious
debate I had in 1920 with an important
writer who went about the country lecturing
that no country could withstand the dew
astation of another war with the inevitably
improved and enlarged bombardments from
the sky.
Well as it turned out, the war to make
the world safe for democracy was followed
by the collapse of most of the democracies
and the establishments of relationships that
rivaled the worst in human history. Musso-
lini's was the mildest. He put only few to
death and only few thousands in prison.
His work was child's play compared to
the deeds of the two far-greater dictators,
each of whom brought about the total sup
preston of freedom in his own country, and
ended the lives of millions of his own people.
THESE horrible returns to the dark ages
Il were followed by World War II, which
seemed to make World War ! look like a
pillow fight in nursery alongside it.
" BY rights, World War II should have
destroyed civilization. Yet there are un-
doubtedly millions more people in the world
today than there were in 1899 even after
the frightful loss of life The sciences have
been enormously advanced. Millions of men
and women have acquired technical knowledge
and skill and supported themselves at the
highest wages ever known
THE CLIMAX OF THE WAR WAS ONE
OF THE SCIENTIFIC TRIUMPHS OF ALL
TIME, THE SOLUTION OF THE PROBLEM
OF RELEASING THE INTERNAL ENERGY
OF THE ATOM. =
I am not trying to minimize or ridicule
the horrible facts. l am really trying to be
optimistic and reassure myself, if nobody Else,
that the atomic bomb does not threaten the
end of civilization.
In the United States News, David Law
renee published two pages Of resolutions be-
ginning with The Hague Convention of 1899,
which scathingly denounced any ruthlessness
whatsoever ward the unarmed citizens
person, property. or honor"
The Hague Convention of 1907 forbade
the bombardment by any means OF unde-
Tended towns, villages, dwellings or buildings,
and the United States signed this, as did most
Of the other nations.
IN 1887 the American embassy denounced
l. the Japanese bombardment of Nanking
in China and demanded the discontinuance Of
all such activities.
The next year the secretary Of state ex-
coriated such slaughter of civilian populations,
particularly women and children, as barbarous
and "in violation of the most elementary
standards of humane conduct developed as an
essential part of modern civilization"
The next year, 1889, President Roosevelt
appealed to the European powers not to bomb
civilians, because, he said, it "sickened the
hearts Of every civilized man and woman and
has profoundly shocked the conscience of
humanity"
On Dec. 2, 1882 he appealed to American
manufacturers not to export airplanes or
materials to nations guilty of such unprovoked
assaults.
Six months later he said "the bombing of
helpless and unprotected civilians is a tragedy
which has aroused the horror of all mankind.
recall with pride that the United States con.
sstently has taken the lead in urging that
this inhuman practice be prohibited"
Before long we were exporting bombs and
planes BY and by we were boasting that our
bombcrs were turning German and Jspanese