Evening star., 1950-01-09
The Only Real Security

NOCnlng cOulQ De less comforting imam
the report drawn up jointly by the Defense
Department and the Atomic Energy Com
mission on the medical problems that
would confront our cities in the event of
war with A-weapons. Although it points
the way to certain palliating measures, it
leaves little room for doubt that in such
situation this country-and all other tar
get countries-would face disasters too i'm
mense to be mitigated in any appreciable
degree.
This should not come as a surprise to
anybody who has taken the trouble to read
the studies made by the United States
Strategic Bombing Survey and the Man.
haitian Engineer District in connection
with the bombings of Hiroshima and Naga-
saki. In a sense, the report of the Acc and
the Defense Department merely confirms
that those studies-which were carried out
Immediately after VI Day-arrived at
conclusions whose essential accuracy has
been corroborated by later e-investigation.
Their chief point, in short, still stands
namely, that against full and sustained
atomic attacks, things like bomb shelters,
industrial decentralization, dispersal of
hospital facilities and pre-planned evacua-
tion and disaster-relief programs would be
nothing but Intellectual palliatives and that
the only real way to avoid unprecedented
death and destruction is to avoid war.
Although it has to do only with the medi-
cal aspects OF atomic weapons, the report
OF the Acc and the Defense Department
bears witness to all this in way that
should sober anybody who imagines that
local, State and Federal civil planning can
accomplish great deal in protecting our
cities against A-bomb attacks. Thus, as
suming that one of our urban centers were
hit with the now-obsolete Hiroshima type
weapon, the report observes that it would
be "unrealistic" to expect that fewer than
10000 or $4,000 persons, in addition to
scores of thousands killed outright, would
be severely burned by the ensuing fires. It
observes, too, that the "ideal' treatment
for just one such injured victim would
require 40 tanks of oxygen, three nurses,
2.7 miles of gauze, So pints of plasma 40
pints of whole blood, and 100 pints of other
fluids plus drugs such as morphine and the
antibiotics"
Obviously, as the report points out, such
treatment would be impossible under catas-
trophe conditions. Further, as far as
medical care and disqualification are con-
cerned, shattered city would have not
merely 1000 or $4,000 victims OF fire burns,
but also an equal number Cat least) of
individuals suffering from radiation sick
ness and from injuries caused by the press
ure wave OF the blast and by falling build
ings. To get some idea of the difficulties
OF trying to care for so many people, we
have only to visualize the chaos and panic
that would exist here in Washington if it
were struck by an about atomic attack.
How can thing of this sort be much niti-
gated by pre-planning? Perhaps Balti-
more and Richmond could rush in help.
but what If they were bombed, too?
1t is worth noting, moreover, that the
AEC-Defense Department report bases its
hgures on weapon of the Hiroshima type.
But today's bomb is deadlier and more
devastating. If it is twice as powerful, ac-
cording to the report, the area 1t can dam
age is only fourth again as great as Hiro-
shima's, but that is terrible enough. And
suppose 1t is three, four, five or six times
as powerful? Or suppose the world-par-
ticularly Russia and the United states-is
moving toward the day of a hydrogen
helium super-destroyer 1000 times more
deadly?
The meaning of all this seems clear
enough. Given total atomic war-a war
without quarter or conscience-the world
would be threatened with something very
close to literal annihilation. Fire depart
ments, hospitals, doctors, rescue squads,
panic-contrd plans-what could any of
them really accomplish in the teeth of un-
restrained A-weapon attacks? The oues-
ton answers itself: The only genuine Sc
curity we can have in this age is the
security of permanent peace in which the
atom will be completely controlled for the
good of peoples and nations everywhere.