Evening star., 1950-02-05


ever in its history. We are the
cially was handed over Surrepti-
tiously by the legion of theological
agents who filled our government
departments. II
Reds Keep Building
The possession of important mil
itary secrets was not of much help,
however, since Russia was known
to lack the technicians who could
turn blueprints into actual weap-
ons for destruction. But Russia
obtained the needed technicians
from Germany. Highly skilled
men who had worked lifetime
in laboratories where WHISTLES,
snorkel submarines and the A
bomb were studied either were i'm
pressed or cajoled into Russia's
service.
Today. according to reports
which are considered correct by
the most authoritative services in
America and England, there are
upward of 10000 scientists and
skilled technicians working in
Russian arsenals and navy yards.
Never in modern history before
World War II was Russia able to
develop a single prototype for a
naval vessel and in 1889 Soviet au-
thorities pleaded to be permitted to
buy couple of modern American
battleships. But today Soviet ar
senals have produced improved
snorkel submarines, with greater
speed and longer underwater en-
durance than the originals she re-
ceived from Germany. Russia has
many more such undersea vessels
than all the other powers COM
bined.
The same thing applies to Rus
sia's air force, which not too long
ago was lamentably weak. Dur
ing World War II the Russians
had to rely exclusively on Ameri-
can lend-lease planes, but they did
not use them extensively. Russian
aviation was limited principally
to ground support and it's pilots
flew at tree-top elevation.
Russian authorities confscated
American long-range bombers
which made forced landings in
Siberia and obtained secrets which
were not communicated officially
to Moscow. Today the Soviet has
$4,000 f1rst-line planes, including
the latest jet fighters and long
range bombers, which probably
are not inferior to our B-36s, the
pride of the United States Air
Force.
Probably Have H.Bomb
+ For a while we appeared to
have monopoly on the atomic
bomb. While the Russians we're
not expected to produce such a
bomb for several years yet, there
was a howl from Russian sympa-
thizers that we either do away
with that destructive weapon or
that we share our secret with the
U. S. S. r.
No such howl is being heard
any longer. The Russians, accord
ing to President Truman's un-
equivocal statement of last Sep
tember, have produced and tested
the atom bomb, which now is in
production in the many plants
in Central Russia, Siberia and
Outer Mongolia.
The German technicians, who
have been working on atomic
energy longer than our own
scientists. are likely to have pro-
duced both the atomic and hydro
gen bombs. The fact thatswe have
not yet received an ultimatum
from Moscow to cease our effort
to Illustrate Russian expansion is
an indication, in the minds of our
military leaders, that the Soviet
has not yet produced the number
of bombs needed to create a real
threat to this country. 1t is only
matter of time, however, until
enough have been produced.
This is not a race, however.
When we have the hydrogen hcmb
in production we shall stow it
away for use only in retaliation.
When the Russians have suffi-
cient number they probably will
use them in a blitz, hoping to
catch us by surprise in the same.
way as the Japanese caught us
at Pearl Harbor.
The Russians are concentrating
their power on targets which they
have selected as vital for "the
day. We are dispensing our weak
forces to the four corners of the
earth. After possessing formida-
BILE ground force at the end of
the war, we now have some IL
divisions, less than per cent of
the Russian ground strength.
These are divided between Japan.
Germany. Austria and Trieste.
Only two divisions are available
within the United States for the
defense of our territory.
Strategic Alaska is completely
lacking in any ground force. The
maintenance crews of the three
air groups stationed there are
being trained in their spare time
to handle machine guns and rifles
for defense against a potential
enemy airborne force of three di-
visions which is known to be To-
Gated in Eastern Siberia.
Fears of Strategists
Congress last year approved 10
air groups as a minimum for the
security. of the United States.
Today we have only 48 air groups
and those are largely on paper.
The necessity for stringent econ
omy to reduce the deficit of
OK E00 nm nm Y,r0y,a,,tod fha cd