The Waterbury Democrat., 1946-09-20
by Dre1C PeaTSOs,

evitable or CD that we are trying to build up predomnance of force to intimdate the rest of man. kind. How would it look to Us if Russia had the atomic bomb and we did not, if Russia had 10000 mile bombers and air bases within thousand miles of our coast lines and we did not?
 "'what's wrong with trying to build up a pre- dominance of force? The only way to preserve peace is for this country to be well armed that will dare attack us We know that America will never start a war
 The flaw in this policy is simply that it will not work. In a world of atomic bombs and other revo- lutionary new weapons, such radioactive poison gases and biological warfare, peace maintained by predominance of force is no longer possible.
 Why is this so? The reasons are clear:
 FIRST.
 Atomic warfare is cheap and easy com- pared with old-fashoned war. Within few years several countries can have atomic bombs and other atomic weapons. Compared with the cost of large armies and the manufacture of old-faShioned weap- ons atomic bombs cost very little and require only relatively small part of nations production plant and labor force.
 SECOND.
 50 far as winning war is concerned having more bombs-even many more bombs-than the other fellow is no longer decisive advantage. If another nation had enough bombs to eliminate all of our principal cities and heavy industry it wouldn't help very much if had 10 times as many bombs needed to do the same to them.
 THIRD
 And most important, the very fact that several nations have atomic bombs will inevitably result in neurotic, earridden itching trigger psy- chology in all the peoples of the world and because of our wealth and vunerability we would be among the most seriously affected Atomic war will not re- qu1re vast and time-consuming preparations the mobilization of large armies, the conversion of & large proportion of country's industrial plants to the manufacture of weapons. In world armed with atomic weapons incident will lead to the use of those weapons.
 There is school of military thinking which recognizes these facts recognizes that when nations have atomic bombs, which will de- stroy modern civilization will result and that no nation or combination of nations can win such a war. This school of thought therefore advocates a preventive war attack on Russia now before Russia has atomic bombs
 "This scheme is not only immoral but stupid If we should attempt to destroy all the principal Russian cities and her heavy industry, might well succeed. But the immediate countermeasure which such an attack would call forth is the prompt occu- patton of all continental Europe by the Red Army Would we be prepared to destroy the cities of all Europe in trying to finish what had started? This Idea is so contrary to all the basic instincts and principles of the American people that any such &C., sion would be possible only under dictatorship at home.
 Thus the predominance of force idea and the notion of defensive attack are both unavoidable The only solution is the one which you have so wisely advanced and which forms the basis of the Moscow statement on atomic energy. That solution consists of mutual trust and confidence among na- tlonS, atomic disarmament, and effective system Of enforcing that disarmament. . ..
 (The Wallace letter to President Truman will be concluded in tomOrrOw's cOlumn