Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1949-12-01
DeudIier and DeudIier

DeudIier and DeodIier
The fact that our A-weapons are going
to be subjected to a second series of super
secret tests at Eniwetok Atoll suggests that
we probably have scored another advance
in Harvesting the atom for military pur-
poses. At any rate, it seems reasonable to
assume that the projected tests have been
decided upon in order to measure some
thing of importance and that that some
thing" as likely as not, represents further
progress in the development of the bomb
or kindred atomic instruments of mass
destruction.
Actually, there has been periodic progress
of this sort ever since the awesome dew
astation at Hiroshima. The bomb that
fell there-though equivalent to 10000 tons
of TNT-released only about tenth of
percent of the destructive energy inherent
in the mass of fashionable material con-
shutting its explosive heart. The one that
hit Nagasaki within the same week and the
ones that were later detonated at Bikini,
before the eyes Of the world, were less
crude and more efficient, which means
deadlier. And what we have been pro-
ducing for many months past Is deadlier
still.
Thus, as the Acc publicly reported to
Congress early this year, the first series of
secret Eniwetok tests-staged in 1948-
involved the defamation of three new-type
bombs that showed substantial gain"
in energy release over all previous types.
Regardless of whether or not that gain
kI.~~ ~f,,fo To-,
crease recently mentioned by Senator
Johnson, there can be no doubt that it
marked significant advance in terms of
equipping us with more powerful weapon.
Certainly, if it made the thing only twice
as effective as the ones that devastated
Hiroshima and Nagasaki, its implications
would be startling enough
And now that additional tests are to be
held at Eniwetok, speculation turns once
again to field of possibilities whose grim
ness speaks for itself. If our A-weapons
today are two three, four, five or even
six times as efficient as the Hiroshima
Nagasaki types, how much more efficient
will they be tomorrow? The answer ap-
parently depends on how far science can
go toward making uranium plutonium
bomb that would explode perfectly-that
is to say, one that would release 100 per
cent, instead of tiny fraction, of all the
energy locked up in its fashionable, chain
reacting heart.
Moreover, although it seems extremely
remote, there Is at least the possibility
that nuclear scientists, going beyond the
uranium plutonium field, may yet be able
to do sensational things with hydrogen and
helium. In that case-and this is theoreti-
cally conceivable day may come when
there will be an A-bomb 1000 times more
deadly than the type today. Such devel-
opment, according to some scientific Cas-
sandras, might make it possible to set the
atmosphere aflame and thus bring about
the literal end of the world.
But even if we dismiss from our minds
all of the more extreme possibilities, the
fact remains-as the forthcoming Eniwe-
tok tests serve to remind us-that a con-
slant effort Is being made to increase the
effectiveness and numbers of A-weaponS.
The fact remains, too, that the United
States is no longer alone in this business.
The Russians are now competing with us,
and they refuse to join in any genuine
cy otC11A Va SOAAoAoa. Nv uAA1Soo
and until they change their minds, we
must 60 on doing what we are doing lest
we be outstripped in history's most danger
Gus ornaments race.
Meanwhile, as that race gathers mo-
mentum and as the atomic stockpiles
increase in an atmosphere of mounting
tension on both sides of the Iron Curtain,
the threat confronting all nations grows
deadlier and deadlier, like the weapons
themselves Breeding mutual fear and
suspicion, 1t is a peculiarly terrible threat
made so by the fact that peoples and
governments alike, primarily because of the
Russians, have succeeded so far only in
talking about it and drifting, as they talk,
in the direction of catastrophe. Sooner or
later, the drift must be checked or the
catastror,he NAV suddenly be upon us,