Evening star., 1949-09-26
One e-Weapon Defense
Theory Held Blasted
By Red A-Bomb News
Balanced Forces
Urged in Place Of
Reliance Upon B-36
Bv David Laurence

81 1olS cAAooS1AS WoS q cCSlCt
weapon.
For Russia's action may also
have exploded the one-weapon
theory Of defense which has re-
Gently doplinated the military
thinking Of the planners in
the United States. Concentration
on strategic bombing. thought
popularly to be our greatest
strength. now may prove our big
gest weakness.
Certainly all plans will have to
be revised radically both from the
offensive and defensive standpoint
since Russia has proved to us that
1t Is an illusion to depend on mere
technology or improved weapons
to map out a winning strategy.
For while Congress has cher
ished this illusion for four years
that America has '1ong lead'
in technology which can protect
her safety-it now becomes evi-
dent that reliance on such alleged
superiority can lead still further
along the path of mistaken as
sumptions. Technology goes to a
common source-and Russia has
good scientists, too.
Jets Match Those of U. s.
A future war-if it's with Rus
sia-now looks like this:
/. theoretically Russia would
start the war in Pearl Harbor
fashion and only when she is
ready-four or five years hence or
even later. meanwhile keeping
the defending nations in a state
of anxiety with their economic
burdens increasing constantly to
support armament expenditures.
2. Russia already possesses jet
fighter planes equal to or superior
to anything which the United
States has today. This means
her long range bombers of the
B-29 type protected by jet fight
ers can overrun Europe and sup
port her advancing armies of foot
soldiers.
8. Strategic bombing from 40
900 feet by B-36s is not accurate
bombing. It is "area bombing"
and while it can destroy large
numbers Of persons it doesn't de-
stroy underground factories and
military installations. Terror
bombing will not affect the Rus
SLAMS any more than it did the
British.
4. The fixed bases in Europe or
Alaska from which our B-36s or
other planes would fly can be put
out Of commission by sudden at
tack without warning, as hap
pened In Pearl Harbor. This
means. a loss of initiative to us.
Intercontinental bombing is of
little avail If the Russian armies
start the war suddenly and over
run continental Europe and thus
make it unlikely that the A-bomb
would be used by US for "area
bombing" of the cities of the very
peoples who are allied with us.
Follows World War III Pattern.
S. Against such a sudden war
there is no defense through a
single weapon. either the B-36
carrying the A-bomb or by, any
other weapon on land or sea or
in the air War then takes on
the pattern of World War II with
land operations to be supported
by tactical aviation. and adequate
forces for amphibious landings
and naval protection. Strictly
speaking the effect is just the
same as If the warning nations
had agreed in advance to prohibit
the use of the A-bomb as they
banned the use of poison gas.
When naturalization of weapons
occurs, wars are fought with the
previously existing weapons.
6. Americas best defense lies
in better use of weapons-better
training and larger numbers of
good weapons than the enemy
possesses, and also such a stra-
tegic distribution of military,
naval and air forces in conjunc-
ton with the Western democra-
cies as to make it apparent in
advance that success for Russia
in land war is highly risky and
doubtful. More B-36s and B-50s
and other types are indicated as
desirable but not a reliance on
these alone.
The theory that the United
States will provide intercontinen-
tai bombing by B-36s while the
Europeans try to hold off the Rus
sian armies is not likely to be
palatable to European govern
ments. In a moment of terror
they may suddenly join the invad-
ing enemy and turn over the
stockpile Of A-bombs and give
them possession of fixed land
bases.
The United States must not de-
pend on a single plan but a fex-
ible plan of defense. To supple
ment strategic. bombing there
must be Allied forces that can en-
gage in "pin-point bombing"
This means low level operations by
bombers which are protected by
fighter escort planes.
II fixed bases in Europe are
lost either by enemy fire or by
surrender to land armies Of the
enemy, the United States and
Britain must have several aircraft
carrier task forces in adjacent
waters to retaliate promptly. A
carrier task force can disperse SO
quickly that II enemy planes did
get through radar screen 1t
would not be worthwhile for the
enemy to waste precious A-bombs
on targets of single ships which
are difficult to hit anyway except
by pin-point bombers. A carrier
task force operates in constant
readiness and can furnish more