Evening star., 1951-01-04
/ Science Nonfietion:

~ ~ASNSSN $NSo NAAS~&toAA3 Assos SAASS6A4s
by the A-bomb trigger-explos
itself. The answer, says Mr.. Lau-
renee, is no secret: The most
highly inflammable atomic fuel
on earth is mixture Of deuterium
and another type Of heavy hydro
gen-tritium. Such a mixture can
be ignited by an atomic bomb.
In turn, 1t can ignite any amount
Of deuterium.
This, then, is the H-bomb which
Mr.. Laurence says is in the max
ing: A mass OF liquified deuterium
of whatever size is desired. which
is kindled by small amount of
the precious deuterium-t -tritium
miXture-which has been kindled
by an ordinary atomic bomb.
Tritium Is Key Element.
The key element is the tritium,
produced only by the same ap-
paratus which is used in the pro-
duction of plutonium. Ours is at
Hanford, Wash.
Mr.. Laurence's belief that we
have big advantage over Russia
in the H-bomb race is based on
one fact and one assumption. The
fact is that we have more A-bombs
than Russia has, and no one can
have more H-bombs than A
bombs, since each H-bomb must
contain an A-bomb. The assump-
ton. more critical, is that Russia
has concentrated on producing
only the plutonium A-bomb-the
one we found to be most efficient
and easiest to make.
If this assumption is correct.
and the evidence seems strong in
its favor, it leads to the conclusion
that Russia can produce the es-
sential tritium only at the expense
of her plutonium production for
A-bombs. We also must sacrifice
our pIutonium production. But
because we had no Fuchs to tell
us that the plutonium A-bomb
was best. our A-bomb stockpiling
program is backstopped by ouf
giant plants for concentrating
U-235, from which perfectly good
A-bombs can be made.
Called Strategic Coup.
AS Mr.. Laurence sees it, Presi-
dent Truman'S announcement
that we would get to work on ac-
tually building the H-bomb was a
genuine, though perhaps unwit-
ting, strategic coup.
"One may visualize the masters
of the Kremlin gnashing their
teeth in impotent rage at what
they no doubt regard as a dia-
bolical plot on our part to sabo-
tage their A-bomb effort" he
writes. Indeed, there can be no
question that our decision to pro-
ceed with the H-bomb was an
answer to Russia's challenge to
our atomic supremacy The
ultimate effect of our decision
was the same as though we had
succeeded in getting a team of
expert saboteurs behind the iron
curtain to plant good-sized mon
key wrench in the Soviet atomic
machinery"
The part of Mr.. Laurence's dis
cussion which is bound to evoke
the hottest debate is his argu-
ment that to think of the H
bomb as a weapon for use against
civilian populations would be
thinking of World War III in
terms of World War II" The
nonrigged H-bomb, he contends,
is rather "the tactical weapon par
excellence"
"No army in the field or on
the march could stand up against
it," he writes. Had we possessed
it at the Battle of the Bulge. just
one could have wiped out the
entire bulge. II the Nazis had
it before D-day, one would have
been enough to wipe out our en-
tire invasion army even before
it landed In a word, the nom
rugged H-bomb has produced a
major revolution in tactics and
strategy.
No Spoils for Victor.
"It has made strategic bomb
ing of cities as obsolete as the
trench of World War I, except
as a weapon Of pure terror and
wanton wholesale destruction Of
life and property. 1t would be
absolutely useless to the victor as
well as the vanquished. as the
victor would have no spoils of
victory left and would have to
rebuild what he had needlessly
destroyed"
Skeptical readers may not go
along with Mr.. Laurence in his
easy discounting of the possible
effects of Russian use Of the H
bomb on our cities-particularly
his assertion that, with proper
American defenses. "the odds
would be against a single A or
H-bomb reaching our shores" :"
(Mr. Laurence himself Is con-
cerned, for instance, with the pos
sibility that an H-bomb could be
detonated in a ship off our coast.)
But If they accept the idea of
the H-bomb as an army-killing
weapon, readers will find at least
this much solid foundation for
the optimistic tone of the book:
Russia conceivably could annihi-
late the United States with CO.
balt-rigged H-bombs, but could
not thereby prevent our annihi-
lating Russia by the same means;
therefore Russia could not profit
by using the bomb in this way.
At the same time. as tactical
weapon, the bomb is useful against
any power which threatens the
peace with a large ground army;
Russia is such a power and the
United States Is not. In this lies
our advantage.
Calls for Declaration.
It Is this advantage, Mr.. Lau-
renee says, which makes it sensible