Evening star., 1946-07-16
World Control Agency
Only Atom Solution,
Institute Is Warned
By Thomas R. Henry

An atomic armament race VIII
mean a war of nerves such as his.
tory does not record" DR.. William
A. Higinbotham, chairman of the
Federation of American Scientists
declared today before the Institute
on World Control of Atomic Energy
at the Interior Department audi
orium.
Stressing that science now offers
no defense against atomic weapons
Dr.. Higinbotham said the only so.
luton of the problem is an inter
national development and contro
authority. He believes that in foul
more years other nations will be
able to produce atomic bombs.
There is no foreseeable defense !
he said, ''to stop atomic bombs ano
certain other weapons of mass de-
struction which in future wars coulC
in a single night do as much dam
age to Europe's capitals as was done
in six years of the last war. Oul
security must be found outside the
field of inventions and gadgets.
Peril to Realty Values.
The best professional soldiers
now admit that armed forces and
military preparations. however well
equipped and lavishly financed,
cannot provide security for such a
large and powerful nation as the
United States. Unless we succeed
in establishing world control, Gov
ernment officials must plan defense
and decentralization measures be-
yond description. I have no hesita-
ton in predicting that If they do not
in a few years metropolitan real es-
tate values will topple, as the aver
age man realizes the disadvantages
of living in exposed cities in an
atomic age without world law"
The alternative to effective world
nuclear bomb control would be for
the United States to protect itself
from attack by attacking flrst-a
course not advocated by any re-
sponsiole civilian or military leader
said Chairman Mcmahon of the
Senate Atomic Energy Committee
who presided at this morning S
session.
Hopes for International Control.
The only other way l know of 10
protect ourselves from atomic war
fare is through some form of effec-
tive international control. I think
we should stop deluding ourselves
that there ever can be absolute
security through international
agreement. There is always the
possibility that one one, some
where at some time may develop an
ambition to conquer us. The best
we can hope for at this time is a
form of international control that
will make it difficult for any nation
to wage atomic warfare and will
make it impossible to launch q
surprise attack"
The present was described as ''the
interval before peace by Mai
George Fielding Eliot. military
analyst. It can be compared, he
said, to a vigalante period before ar
orderly government is established ir
a new country when "it is essential
to keep your six-shooter handy unit
the sheriff comes to take the place
of the vigilantes."
In any picture OF future war, he
said, it is necessary to recognize thai
the worlds oceans now are the
exclusive property of the Ameri-
can and British navies, since they
are the only naval powers to survive
the last war and the prospects OF
another one arising are very remote
End of Production.
A proposal that the United States
stop at once the production o1
atomic bombs as a gesture of gener
osity to implement its proposal fol
world control of atomic development
was made by DR.. Pierre Anger
French scientific consultant to thu
United Nations Atomic Energy Com
mission.
Speaking at a dinner meeting o
the institute last night, DIR. Augel
said that while the Baruch plan Il,