Evening star., 1949-03-23
,5uper-Goyernment'
b0nIy Atom Defense
DR.. Urey Maintains

D. UIey NdlnIdlnS
There is no real defense against
atomic warfare. except in the
control Of atomic weapons, anc
there can be no control except
through a super government,
according to DR.. Harold c. Urey
Nobel prize-winning atomic scien.
tist.
DR.. Urey participated in a forum
broadcast on atomic energy hele
yesterday in connection with the
United States Conference ot
Mayors, which is holding it's fina
session today at the Hotel Statler
He spoke to the mayors from the
University of Chicago.
Asked to comment on the pos.
sibility of defense against the
atomic bomb, the scientist sug.
gested that although defense by
going underground" is difficult
and expensive, it should be care.
fully considered.
Attempts to intercept bomb
carrying missiles or planes car
only be partially successful, hi
added. and we must expect thai
most of the bombs will reach
their objectives.
Calls Control Only Defense.
''There is a defense" DR.. Urey
declared, but it is not a military
defense. The defense is control
Il belong to that group of peo-
pie who believe that a super
government must be established
over and above the national
states"
The federal union should be
formed of the states participat-
ing in the North Atlantic pact,
he suggested.
1T should be government
with legislative, executive and
judicial branches, and it should
have adequate governmental ma
chinery as well as means of sup
porting itself by taxation. The
danger before us demands that
type of control"
The danger was underscored by
another expert, Prof. j. H. Muller
of the University of Indiana. who
described to the gathering the
effects of atomic radiation.
Atomic materials may be scat
tered by planes or rockets. or
spread in snow and rain" he said.
Vast areas may be hopelessly de-
filed"
Now Far More Deadly.
Improvements" in the tech
nique of atomic warfare now
makes possible far more wide
spread destruction than was pos
sible at Hiroshima or Nagasaki,
DR.. Muller added.
The Bikini bomb tests showed
that ships and land could be made
atomically too hot" for habita-
ton for an indefinite time. he
said, and that effect could be
achieved more efficiently today.
Radiation might result in more
deaths in later years than at the
time of the attack, debilitating
whole populations for hundreds.
in fact thousands. of years later"
If any number of bombs are
dropped in our populous sections
they will probably kill enough
people to wipe out our civiliza-
tion," the scientist said.
And Russia may already be
building atomic weapons. the
mayors were told. This came
from DR.. David Bradley. atomic
medical research specialist, and
author of mo Place to Hide'-a
report on the Bikini tests.
Americans are deluding them
selves by trying to hide behind
atomic secrecy. which does not, in
fact, exist, or behind industrial
knoW-how" which. at best. offers
only a temporary respite. DR..
Bradley said.
Dispersion of Plants Urged!
Ralph j. Watkins, director of
planning for the National Security
Resources Board, advised the dis
persion of vital plants over wide
areas as "the best and cheapest
form Of defense" against an
atomic attack.
Less pessimistic speakers on the
forum were David E. Lilienthal,
chairman of the Atomic Energy
Commission, who confined his re-
marks to the peacetime uses OF
atomic energy, and Senator Nc
Mahon, Democrat, of Connecticut,
chairman of the joint Congress
sional Committee on Atomic
Energy.
Mr.. Lilienthal said that the con-
structive use of the atom is mo
pipe dream He reminded the
audience that the products of Oak
Ridge are already in use in many
hospitals throughout the world,
and predicted atomic fuel for gen.
Grating electricity.
Senator Mcmahon described
atomic security as "a wise balance
between security by concealment
and security by achievement" :"
Such a balance, he added. "obvi-
ously cannot be struck on the floor
of the Senate or the House of
Representatives"