The Wilmington morning star., 1945-11-16
Interpreting
The News
BY JAMES D. WHITE
Associated Press Staff Writer

| 49,
The United States, Britain and
Canada propose to keep their
atomic powder dry until they can
be sure it won't be used against
them and humanity.
That seems to be the list Of the
Joint Truman-Attlee-King state
ment issued at the White House
today.
To Anglo-Saxon ears, there is
little in this statement which can
be interpreted as a threat to any,
one. It assumes responsibility for
taking the initiative in seeing that
the divided atom is used for hui
manity instead of against it, and
proposes to set up a United Ma
tions Commission through which
four things would be done:
l.. Exchange basic scientific in
formation for peaceful ends. This
apparently doesn't offer too much
in the immediate field of atomic
knowledge. According to some au-
thorities the principles Of splitting
atoms are generally known-the
secret is in how to make and fuse
bomb.
However, in the long run it may
be interpreted to hold great prom
ise in this and other scientific
fields, but one wonders how the
various nations including our
selves-win deal with the problem
Of patents which may be affected
by such a program.
2. Control atomic energy to en-
sure its use only for peaceful
purposes.
3. Eliminate from national ar
maments atomic and other major
weapons adaptable to mass de.
struction.
4. Set up a system of inspec.
ton to protect complying states
from violations.
Russia is the largest power out
side the atomic inner circle, and
Russian reaction to these sugges-
tions (including the one about in
spection by UNO) will be watched
with consuming interest. This
early there is little to indicate what
it will be. The Russians actually
have let it be known only that they
favor sharing atomic secrets and
that they are at work on them
themselves.
Meanwhile the White House state
ment does not make clear how the
proposed Atomic Control Commits
sion is to be fitted into the Unit
ed Nations OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES
it will be subject to the veto-hob-
bled Control Council or to the AS
sembly, or both, or whether it will
itself be saddled with the veto
rule whereby the delegate of one
great power can stymie any pro-
posal by vetoing it.
Russian reaction also may be
determined to a certain extent by
the way we ourselves respond to
these proposals. The idea of elm
mating atomic and other major
weapons adaptable to mass de-
struction is a disarmament propo-
sal which can be expected to run
into the same roadblocks of think
ing and definition which have con-
fronted earlier efforts of the same
nature. The Russians will watch
closely what we have to say on
this.
They may be expected to watch
carefully the reaction of the Unit
ed States Senate, which must ap-
prove by two-thirds majority vote
al American foreign policy COM
mitments.
Would the Senate vote to open
this country to United Nations in
spectors? Would the House of Rep
resentatives vote the necessary ap-
preparation to finance this coun-
try's share of the cost?
The Russians generally pay spe-
cial attention to American state.
ments bearing on such issues. As
capitalists fear Communism, the
Russians are inclined to see capit-
alistic goblins under the bed. The
Marxist theory is that capitalism
leads to imperialism. and the Rus
sian affi&1lda nnav he determined