Evening star., 1951-10-15
Fantastic New Arms
IAre Not Available,
|Lovett Tells Legion
~ The As,oejutet, Pres.

MIAMI, Fla, Oct. 15.-Defense
Secretary Lovett warned today
that the United States does not
yet have ready for use fantastic
atomic weapons which could win
10 quick. easy or magic victory
In war.
Taking crack at what he
called exaggerated hopes" the
new Defense Secretary told the
American Legion in his first ad-
dress since taking ofice:
"The plain fact is that until
new weapons and new military
applications of atomic energy
have proved their reliability and
are available for use, our national
safety in the face Of attack will
have to depend upon improved
orthodox weapons In ample guam
tity and with sufficient trained
and equipped ground. naval and
air forces to use them effectively -
Letter From Truman.
On another phase of the de-
fense picture President Truman
declared in a letter to the Legion
naires that I'VE must lose no time
in placing on the statute books q
sound system OF universal train
ing.
Secretary Lovett said over
optimism now being pinned on the
availability Of super- weapons can
lead to wishful thinking which
through disillusionment can bring
|pesSimism and despair"
The new Secretary-who Sue
|ceeded Gen. Marshall in the de-
Tense post-plainly was trying to
cut down the growth Of optimism
over the possibility Of equipping
the Army. Navy and Air Force
in the near future with atomic
weapons to replace the orthodox
weapons.
He said: "It would be a grave
disService to you and to the Ma
ton to leave you with the impress
sion that these advances in the
atomic field had brought an easy,
quick, cheap or magic way to
fight or win war
Secretary Lovett said there is nc
doubt new atomic weapons even
tually will replace certain types
Iof standard weapons and vastly
increase the striking power of our
armed forces.
Funds for Atomic Arms.
He said the military budgets
for 1852 and 1858 include money
to procure all the atomic weapons
lit is physically possible to make
in the next two years." But he
said these weapons must be con-
sidered only complementary to the
weapons we already have.
Secretary Lovett urged a speedy
program of universal military
service training and said: There
is nothing impossible about the
tasks that face us today. We have
the resources and we have the
skills and we have the industrial
capacity and the confidence and
faith to make them work"
The Presidents letter came as
the new National Security Train
ing Commission prepared to send
detailed proposals for a UNIT
program to Capitol Hill. probably
by next week end.
Our national security may well
require us to keep up strong de-
fensive forces for many years to
come. That Is the outlook at the
present time. This does not nec-
essarily mean. however. that we
must maintain indefinitely q
standing force Of at least the pres
ent size" Mr.. Truman wrote.
THE alternative which may be
open to US in the longer run is to
rely on a smaller active force, sup
lplemented by strong. well-trained
and well-equipped reserves, ready
for instant and effective mobiliza-
top. That. of course. is where
universal training comes in. It is
the only sure way we can create a
reserve of that character and
maintain it over the years"