Evening star., 1946-06-30
BY Nelson M. Shepord

The great Majority of the build
ingS in Washington and other Amer
lean cities could not stand up
against an atom bomb bursting
mile and half from them,
board of civilian experts warned
last sight. in urging drastic meas
ureS be taken now to hold doWr
losses from a possible atomic at.
tack.
In a report to President Truman
based on scientific studies of the
effects of the atom bombs dropped
on Hiroshima and Nagasaki last
year, the experts of the United
States Strategic Bombing Survey
said "the danger is real .. the
findings leave no doubt"
They recommended wide dispersal
OF armed forces, decentralization of
industrial and medical facilities
construction of shelters. prepara-
tlon of evacuation programs and
erection Of more sturdy buildings
like those built to resist EARTHQUAKES
in California.
Such protective measures. the re-
port said. could substantially re-
duce the degree of devastation from
an atomic bomb and the rate OF
casualties" but they would be only
intellectual palliatives' against sus-
tanned attacks
1t concluded that TO avoid de-
struction, the surest way is avoid
war"
Compared Germany and Japan.
Franklin D'Oiier, Newark, N. j.
insurance company executive, who
was an Army officer in the frs,
World War, is chairman of the
Strategic Bombing Survey grour
which made the report after detailed
inspection. of Hiroshima and NaRa
sakl, following an earlier appraisal
OF the effects of regular" bombing
Of Germany.
The agency that developed the
atomic bomb-the War Department. :
Manhattan Engineer District d.
rected by Maj. Gen. Leslie R. Groves
made public a parallel report or
the devastation of the two Japanese
cities.
While the separate reports were
IN general agreement on extent oi
the bomb damage, the civilian ex.
perts did not bear out an Arm,
assertion that each of the atom
bombs produced blasting effect
equivalent to approximately 10000
tons OF INT as originally estimated
The civilian report estimated the
atomic bomb damage at Hiroshima
could have been matched by about
2,l0o tons of high explosive, incen-
diary and antipersonnel fragmenta
ton bombs-requiring an attack.
ing force of 210 B-29s.
Casualty Rate Unprecedented.
What stands out at Hiroshims
and Nagasaki, the report said, il
the unprecedented" casualty rate
from the combination of heat, bias,
and radiation. It estimated the
casualty rate at $4,000 persons pei
square mile in Hiroshima, and 43,-
600 at Nagasaki.
The two reports we're in accorc
that there is no ground for rumor.
that came from the japanese thai
some deaths were due to radioac.
tfvity persisting after the atomic
bomb explosions. This might hav,
been "ominously different" if tn.
bombs had exploded at ground leve
instead of in the air, the civilian
report said.
It attributed IS to 20 per cent O
the casualties, however, to "radia
ton sickness caused by exposure t,
the gamma rays liberated at the in
slant of the bomb EXPLOSIONS
distinct from induced" or finger
ing" radioactivity.
There is reason to believe,
added, that if the effects of bias
and fire had been entirely absen
from the bombings, this radiation
would have killed nearly as man,
people within mile from the boml
bursts as actually died from al
causes.
The principal difference wol,lf