Evening star., 1945-09-26
U. S. Urged to Abjure
Use of Atomic Bomb
Writer Charges Disregard of
Laws of Humane Warfare
By David Laurence

By David Laurence
Despite the fragrant disregard of the
laws of humane warfare in the use OF
the atomic bomb, the world is still
thinking in terms of further employ
ment of the weapon.
1t is truly amazing that the recent
discussion in President Trumans cab
met centered merely on whether the
secret of the bomb should be shared
with Russia and other nations. Not
single proposal has been made by any
member of the Government that the
atomic bomb be banned completely from
further use in war.
Whether scientists in other nations
will or will not learn the secret later
by their own explorations is less I'M
portant than the policy which the
United States might adopt now in
pledging that the weapon will never
again be employed.
Forbearance and self-restraint with
respect to the use of an inhumane meth
Cd Of warfare is not novel. The United
States has possessed for a long time
the deadliest of poison gases, but the
War Departments survey as to possible
reaction of public opinion to their use
this year are believed to have shown
that the American people disapproved.
In any event, the United States Gov
ernment has repeatedly expressed Itself
through its spokesmen and has signed
international agreements over long
period of years denouncing inhumane
methods Of warfare.
Thus the American people have been
shocked by the ill treatment given pris-
oners of war by Japan and Germany.
American flyers were executed by the
japanese and similarly in Europe some
American aviators were shot by enemy
peoples. This is being condemned as
an act of barbarism and the public is
demanding trials as war criminals of
those guilty Of prison camp horrors.
Paves Way to Barbarism.
If the United States actually by its
policies takes the view that the atomic
bomb is legitimate weapon of war,
then there will be no logical reason
why any nation cannot hereafter en-
ploy barbaric means of self defense,
no matter how cruel.
The most plausible argument made
in support of our use of the atomic
bomb is that the Allies previously en-
ployed other bombs in air raids which
in total effect were almost as devas-
tating. But it will be recalled that
President Roosevelt at the outbreak of
the war denounced as inhumane the
bombing of innocent men, women and
children from airplanes and called on
the belligerent nations to exercise cau-
ton and limit their air raids to military
targets and armies. Gradually the def
milton of military target was ration
allied so that factories and workers
homes and, IN fact, anything the Army
Air Forces wanted to bomb was con-
| strued to be in that category.
President Truman himself in a public
address last month actually called Hiro-
| shima military target" but the bomb
| destroyed far more than such a target
| And as for Nagasaki the truth is that
| the bomb was supposed to have been
dropped somewhere else but at the last
moment Nagasaki was chosen.
Indictment" of Administration.
More than 100000 human beings
very few connected with military es-
tablishments-were killed by these two
raids and many tens of thousands
manned or wounded. The Army Air
Forces spokesmen are saying the war
~ ofN
by other military operations before the
bomb was used. This is a most severe
indictment of the administration in
Washington for using a weapon that
is held by military persons themselves
to have been really unnecessary in
winning the war
America has stood before all the
world heretofore as the exponent of
philosophy Of kindness and humane
ness as distinguished from brutality
and barbarism. When the President s
cabinet discusses the extension or with.
holding of the secret and does not ac-
| company such discussion by single
members denunciation of any further
use by either ourselves or any other
Po"SA, AZ 40 SlSi lllc ClOCk Is
being turned back to the darkest ages
OF man. Instead of viewing the atomic
bomb as an instrument of science for
peacetime uses and formulating a policy
which will prohibit it's employment in
war. there is talk of using the weapon
! as means Of coercion by the United
Nations-as if collective barbarism is
any more legitimate than national or
| individual brutality
| The spiritual forces Of the whole
world must inevitably rise to deter
mine the future of the atomic bomb.
| A worldwide denunciation by the
| United States of any further use of
the weapon is the only way by which
the American Government can even
| partially atone for the sin committed
by the use of that bomb against nom
combatants.
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