Evening star., 1947-02-04
Our Atomic MONOPOLY

In Celllng New YORK Herald
Tribune writer that Canada has
begun to produce its own plutoniuA,
DR.. C. J. Mackenzie, director of the
Canadian National Research Coun-
Gil, has revealed highly significant
but not particularly surprising fact.
Such a development was to have
been expected sooner or later. To-
gether with the British, the Cana
dians worked hand in glove with us
in the wartime harnessing of atomic
energy, and by the time of Hiro-
shima they were nearly as well in
formed as we were, at least, as re-
CARDS the workability Of theories.
Our exclusive position consisted pri-
marily of our vast nuclear fission
facilities and our bomb making
"know-ho
The great significance of DR..
Mackenzie's revelation-a revelation
apparently permissible under Can
adas security restrictions-is that
it serves as sharp reminder of the
transient nature of our American
monopoly in this field. In all prob
ability we alone know how to make
the bomb and kindred weapons at
this time, but the fact that the
Canadians are producing their own
plutonium-even though in rela-
lively very small quantities-should
sober any one among us who may
be laboring under the comfortable
delusion that our present secret ad-
vantages can be maintained in
perpetuity.
Plutonium, created out of uranium,
is pure nuclear fuel. Appallingly
little of it is needed to wipe out a
city. Once country is able to pro-
duce it, there is not a great deal
more that has to be done to harness
it for military purposes. All that
remains is to figure out and assemble
the bomb mechanism-a difficult
step, perhaps, but not too difficult
Thus, in the words of the Scientific
and Technical Committee of the
United Nations Atomic Energy Com
mission, "the installations necessary
for weapon manufacture are rela-
lively small and the time required
is relatively short if the necessary
high skilled personnel is available
and the procedure is known"
Canada, according to DR.. Macken-
zie, does not intend to make bombs.
Nevertheless, relatively speaking, it
is not far from the point where it
could make them if it wanted to.
Probably the same is true of Britain.
In any case the British are working
on their own atomic project. SO are
other countries, notably Russia. In
deed, as Senator Mcmahon pointed
out recently, we cannot. be sure
one way or the other-about how far
the Russians have progressed. For
all we know, they may have large
nuclear facilities behind the Urals
and may be much nearer to success
than is generally imagined. Bernard
Baruch repeatedly believes the Rus
slams have learned some of our
atomic bomb secrets, and the report
of the Royal Commission on Cana
da'S spy ring showed that vital
atomic data and materials were
obtained by Soviet agents.
Thus the longevity of our atomic
monopoly is open to serious doubt.
Perhaps our "know-how" will be ex-
clusively ours for another five or ten
years, but it would be blind folly to
bank on that The situation compels
us, urgently, to do two things: To
lead unf1aggingly in the drive to
establish strict international control
and to do everything we can-as Mr..
Baruch has just suggested-to keep
ahead in the race until such control
is operating. A matter of survival
is involved.