Evening star., 1946-03-22
Ball Says Scrappiine
.A-Bomb Would Give
u. 5. Appeaser' 5 Role

The United States would render
Itself ''impotent" and committed to
appeasement if we destroyed our
stock of atomic bombs and the IA
cilities for making them, in the
opinion Of Senator Ball, Republican,
of Minnesota.
Russia still has an estimated
10, 900 900 men under arms and her
armies are occupying Iran in viola
ton of a treaty and threatening
Turkey" Senator Ball asserted yes
terday as he took the floor OF the
Senate to criticize the proposal of
Senator Pepper, Democrat, of Flor
ida, that this country destroy its
atom bombs.
| mo one knows what secret weap-
ons Russia has developed or Is pro-
ducing behind her iron curtain of
Isolation" he said. "On the other
hand, the United States has demob-
ilized so rapidly that our Navy, Army
and Air Force are declared by our
own military leaders to be relatively
impotent."
Opposes "Big 3" Meeting.
Senator Ball based his speech on
a section of Senator Peppers for
eign policy address Wednesday. He
took strong exception to Senator
Peppers proposal that this country
take the lead in proposing a new
Big Three meeting by destroying
every atomic bomb we have" and
smashing every facility we possess
capable of producing only destruc-
tive forms of atomic energy"
What Senator Pepper proposes, I"
Senator Ball said, "is that we strip
ourselves of the only real military
power we still possess, the atomic
bomb, and then confer with Russia
about future security and peace.
we might enter such conference
with clean hands, but I submit we
would enter into it committed in ad-
vance by our own impotence to a
policy. of appeasement."
He declared that the atomic energy
control bill, as introduced originally
by Senator Mcmahon, Democrat, of
Connecticut, would have stripped
the military forces of anything to do
or say about atomic weapons. Such
a plan, he declared, would be as
suicidal for American security and
peace as the course advocated by
Senator Pepper.
Sees Red Propaganda.
Senator Ball declared that the
Communist party, operating through
supposedly liberal front organiza-
tions," was beating the drums for
the original Mcmahon BILL" which
had been rewritten over Senator
McMahon's opposition to provide for
a Military Liaison Committee.
Senator Pepper commented later
to a reporter:
Il suspected that this would be
the first form of attack. You can
be anti-Russian and be a good
American, but if you have a kind
word to say for Russia you are
called Communist"
Senator Pepper said those who
cry Communism" at the sound of a
kind word for Russia are blocking
the most direct road toward an en-
during peace.
Reconciliation Urged.
Asserting that his proposals came
from my own heart" Senator Pep
per added that he considers itI
neither fair nor good judgment" "
to proceed on the premise that no
agreement can be reached with
Russia.
Only by reconciliation of opin-
ion between the United States, Great
Britain and Russia can we obtain
lasting peace he said
The Minnesota Senator referred
to an August %, 1910, speech in
the Congressional Record in which
Senator Pepper had attacked a
Communist party anti-draft PAM
phlet, calling it "a sinister influence
from Moscow reaching into
our own land"
Senator Ball quoted Senator Pep
per as saying at that time:
$50, Mr.. President, there are in
stances in which persons have been
unwittingly, no doubt-just as Ger
tain persons are unwittingly carriers
|of deadly germs-the carriers of
pernicious propaganda that tends to
destroy the body polite and the
body economic and the body ma
tional here upon this continent"
Says Pepper Was Correct.
Senator Ball continued:
ut will be noted that that was in
August, 1910, at a time when our
later ally had non-aggression pact
with Hitler. OF course, at that time
the party line of Communists in
this country was to oppose to the
limit every effort to get America
prepared. I think the Senator from
Florida was absolutely correct in
characterizing the position taken in
1910 as propaganda adopted by
Moscow for its own purposes, and
not for American purposes. !
Unfortunately, he does not seem
to recognize the same sort of propa-
ganda foisted upon the American
people at this time for exactly the
same purpose-to make America
so weak and impotent that we shall
have no alternative but to appease
the aggressor."
Quotes Questioning Of Adams.
At another point, Senator Ball
quoted Senator Pepper as saying,
in questioning the late Senator
Adams of Colorado on the Senate
floor on February 13, 1910:
Does not the Senator recognize
that the kind of world this is tn he