Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1946-06-15
Dream and Alternative

OF current relations between Russia
and the west, the American plan for
international control of the atom
may seem to, many to be little more
than wishful dream in the night.
Yet. as Bernard M. Baruch has
just declared in outlining this dream
to the United Nations Atomic Energy
Commission. there is no alternative
to it but an age of terror in which
the different powers, living in fear
OF each other, will engage in the
deadliest ornaments race of all time
"a race whose ultimate conse-
quences could mean the virtual an
Inhalation of humanity.
In Mr.. Baruch's words, let us not
deceive ourselves about the prospect.
In the future Immediately before us
we must have either international
cooperation or international disin-
tegration" world peace or world
destruction" And since it is our
own Nation that has been the prime
mover in precipitating this future,
ours is the awful responsibility" to
take the lead in great universal
effort to guarantee that the atom
Will never again be used to destroy
but will instead be so developed and
controlled as to make available to
mankind the extraordinary blessings
implicit in it.
Accordingly, through Mr.. Baruch,
the United States has now proposed
to the world program far more
sweeping and revolutionary than
anything ever before challenging
the faith and wisdom of govern
ments and peoples alike. Based
largely on the State Departments
ACKNOWLEDGMENT report, it calls
upon the United Nations to create
an Atomic Development Authority
1ully empowered to own, control,
manage or otherwise supervise and
inspect all atomic energy activities
IN every part of the globe. Details
to one side, its substance is that it
would do away with iron curtains"
and drastically diminish the privi-
leges OF national sovereignty in the
field of nuclear f1ssion.
AS set forth by Mr. Baruch. the
plan-Subject to notifications that
may be proposed by other nations
would go into effect by separate
stages under a solemn treaty No
country would hold veto power
over it. The supernatural agency
would have overall direction. Rus
STA, for instance, could not exercise
a free hand in exploiting uranium
ana thorium resources within its
own borders. The United States
could no longer be its own master in
the field. All existing A-bombs
would be disposed of and no more
could be made legally in any land
violations OF the rules would be in
ternational crimes and the guilty.
would face swift punishment in line
with the Nuremberg principles.
In presenting the plan to the
United Nations, the United States
mas underscored its earnestness bv
declaring its readiness to disclose
the secrets it possesses and to de-
stroy all its A-bombs as soon as the
proposed control agency becomes ef-
1ectlve. How the other powers will
react to this profoundly historic
proposal, particularly how Russia
WILL react, remains to be seen. It is
easy, OF course, to take a dim view of
the outlook. If the Allies cannot
agree on relatively minor issues, how
can they possibly agree on thing as
far-reaching as this? And even if
they do agree on it, just how we'll
Will it be lived up to and how could
vlolator be punished short of q
large-scale war?
Mr.. Baruch has not minimized the
dlff1culties involved, but he has
spoken of them in a way that should
discourage defeatism. Actually. as
ne says, nothing less than a literally
permanent peace can guarantee the
"orld's safety, but after "a man
learns to say "a he can, if he chooses
learn the rest of the alphabet, too"
and II we can but bring the atom I'M
ger effective international control
we can look forward hopefully to
doing away with war forever. This
is portentous hour calling for an
afnrmative spirit everywhere. Given
That and sanity, we can face the
future without fear. The alternative
is almost too grim to contemplate.