Evening star., 1950-02-03
Conscience Of Nation
Presses for Answer
On Hydrogen Bomb
Does u. S.. Neon to Use
Weapon or Try Threot
For Atomic Agreement?
By David LatCrence

ny lava laurence
conscience-that invisible and
Intangible force which pursues
man at every turn-has bobbed
up with a penetrating question
here.
Does the United States really
mean to use the hydrogen bomb
some day or do. we merely intend
to threaten it's use so as to force
an agreement assuring interna-
tional control Of atomic weapons?
Senator Arthur Vandenberg, Re-
publican, reveals the pin pricks in
a nations conscience when he pro-
poses that the President notify
the United Nations of our inten-
tion to stop making hydrogen
bombs the moment Russia SUBJ
mits to an effective form of out
lawing atomic weapons Of all kinds.
The President said, before the
subject Of the hydrogen bomb
came to public notice, that he
would not hesitate to order the
dropping Of atom bombs, If neces-
sary, in wartime. This was done
evidently to let the Russians know
that no reasons of humaneness
would govern If war came.
Historical u. s. Position.
Historically the position of the
United States has altered consid-
erably from the days in 1899 when
the late President Roosevelt made
plea to all belligerent nations
not to bomb innocent civilians and
to confine bombing strictly to, the
battlefieldS or to military install
lations behind the lines. The de-
cision by President Truman in 1945
to drop the atom bomb on two
heavily populated cities in Japan
without specific warning in ad-
vance is now American policy
Assuming that the Russians
some day allow full and frank
discussion Of the hydrogen bomb
In their press, what will the aver
age mother and father in Russia
say when they learn that the
United States has ordered the
making OF the most destructive
bomb in all human experience?
Will they feel more kindly toward
the United States and the Amer
lean people? Will they be less or
more likely to believe the charges
Of the Kremlin leaders that the
American Government is war
nongering"?
Hardly anyone here disputes the
wisdom Of going ahead to make
the hydrogen bomb. But the Gov
ernment's responsibility unfortu-
nately isn't confined to that simple
point. Talk is astir again, of course,
about renewing the negotiations for
agreement with Russia to control
the making OF. atomic weapons.
With the existing state OF suspi-
cion and distrust, however, on
everything else in the relations be-
tween the two countries, it seems
improbable that any agreement.can
be readily reached. Instead, the
Russians will naturally decide to
concentrate. more than ever on
finding ways of making a hydro
gen bomb and building up their
atomic stockpile.
Lesson Of History. /
What is happening today has
happened throughout all his
tory-one nation gets a larger
quantity Of armament and threat
ems the other. The temporarily
weaker nation, If it possesses the
necessary resources, promptly re-
sponds-and an armament race Is
on. Usually war has come because
Of the fear. accentuated by military
strategists, that If the first blow
isn't struck to stop potential ag-
gression, then actual aggression
will ensue.
The President has an unex-
ampled opportunity to call for a |
re-examination of Russian-Amer-
lean relations in every aspect.
The defeatist notion that every
thing has been done by us that
can be done to avert war is wide
spread, but moral force has often
removed the causes of human
friction and solved disputes where
there is manifestation of give
and-take and a spirit of true ac-
commodation.
II the acts of the Kremlin have
fore America to make the hy-
drogen bomb. it is a safe bet that |
the Russian people do not know it.
The facts in the case have never
been assembled - outside of our
own official state papers-either
before the United Nations or else
where in judicial manner. Has
our diplomacy always been fair |
and just? Is it really helpless to
find even an unorthodox approach
to a solution? Is ingenuity con-
fined solely to the laboratories of
nuclesr physics?
The conscience of a Christian |
world may soon begin to press for
the answers.
Reproduction Rishts Reserved.}