Evening star., 1945-11-17
Atomic Bomb Program
Called Constructive
u. S. Offer to Share Secret Is
Sincere, Writer Contends
By David Laurence

BY David Laurence
The United States and Britain and
Canada have offered the whole world
q constructive program for dealing with
the military uses Of the atomic bomb.
It's q program that promises to share
the secret when effective safeguards
against misuse have been developed.
This is but polite way Of saying that
when nations really trust one another
they can have the horrible weapon we
have invented. 1t Is also way Of
calling attention to an obvious fact
but one perhaps not realized every
where, namely, that the United States.
Great Britain and Canada have not the
slightest fear that the bomb will be
used against each other.
Surely since the United States has
demonstrated already that 1t does share
the secret with one of its nearest neigh
bors in this hemisphere and with its
biggest naval rival In another hemi-
sphere, there need be no reason to ques-
ton our sincere willingness to give
up the full secret to others.
Concessions Not Sought.
It will be said that the United States
and Britain are using the bomb secret
as a means of influencing diplomatic
relations with Russia. Such a step, If
true, would only aggravate Russo
American relations. 1t is not the in
tention of either the United States or
Great Britain to trade the secret for
some temporary concessions by Russia.
On the contrary, the desire OF the
British and American governments Is
to create q permanently favorable
atmosphere within which problems can
be settled in the future even after the
bomb secret has been given away and
the leverage has been used up. That's
why the official communique stresses
the fact that each step or stage must
be completed before the next one can
be taken. Thus ways and means to In
sure an effective inspection of other
countries must be accepted by all coun-
tries before interchange is to materi-
alize.
Would Russia, for instance, consent
in advance to the admittance of agents
of the United Nations Commission into
factories and plants and the hitherto
hidden areas Of the Soviet Union? If
after such period Of inspection during
which an investigation of all sources Of
scientific or mechanical research or
armament-making has been completed,
then and then only will the next stage
sharing Of the secret-be reached.
These are terms which, If the situa-'
ton were reversed, Russia would un-
doubtedly insist on. Clearly, the world.
government school of thought which has
been advocating the giving up Of the
secret to superstate could not justly
object to the above course for, If carried
out honestly by all powers, the first and
necessary step in the evolution of q
Mutual Trust Vital
This is because If the means of de-
stroying nations sovereignty is in the
possession Of other sovereign nations,
there must inevitably be created a re-
lationship of mutual trust which could
make any form of world government
feasible
To aim, however, in the direction Of
world collaboration or even to promise
| eventually to give up the atomic bomb
secret is not to find at once substi-
tute for the slow processes of self
| education whereby citizens of one
nationality place themselves voluntarily
under the jurisdiction, legal or quasi
legal, of world government composed
| of and perhaps even dominated by the
cultures, PHILOSOPHERS and basic atti-
tudes toward law and morals of an en-
tirely different group of nationalities
The transition will neither be simple
nor achieved overnight.
| All that can be said is that a start
has been made to organize the discussion
as to the disposal of the atomic bomb
and to split the problem into concrete
sections. World opinion must now do
its part and it may well be that Russia
will find it desirable to put her case
frankly before the other nations of the
world in order to exact from them the
same pledges of elf-denial and self
discipline with respect to our own po-
litical and economic operations as we
now ask Russia to impose on herself as
condition precedent to the disclosure
of the atomic bomb
The debate should soon begin-per-
haps the most fateful debate of all
times.
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