Evening star., 1951-10-03
Dean Disputes Theory
New Atomic Weapons
Might Avert War
BY the Assoeroted Press

Energy Commission has put {
flat no" to theories that an i'm.
mediate big-scale switch to atomic
weapons might avert another wal
and halve 1852 military costs.
But Acc Chairman Gordon
Dean did say the United States
now has tactical atomic weapons
and made cautious disclosure
that new atomic weapons are be.
ing produced.
Mr.. Dean testified last week
behind the closed doors of a House
appropriations subcommittee. The
testimony was made available to
a reporter today. Mr.. Dean was
asked by Representative Thomas
Democrat. of Texas about recent
statements that an extra Sc billion
to $40 billion given to the Acc
now might avert a war and save
up to half of the 1852 military
budget. Mr., Thomas did not say
whom he was quoting.
But the answer, Mr.. Dean re-
piled, is fiat no."
He said the extra money could
not be translated Immediately into
more atomic weapons because of
the time factor involved in pro-
ducing them.
Mr.. Thomas then asked Mr..
Dean if he knew of any new sup
plies of raw materials by which
atomic bombs could be produced
by the thousands.
Il hate to go into figures" Mr..
Dean answered. II would rather
not talk of numbers"
Mr.. Thomas then wanted to
know about a prediction made in
a Senate speech September 18
by Senator Mcmahon, Democrat,
of Connecticut, that if, as Senator
Mcmahon urged, the United
States mass produced" atomic
weapons. the cost of an atomic
bomb would become less than
the cost of single tank"
Senator Mcmahon called for
all-out atomic weapons produc-
ton. saying that if Sc billion a
year were spent on atomic energy
instead of the $500 million spent
last fiscal year, savings at some
future time he did not specify
would reach $50 to $40 billion a
year. Important savings" would
result next year, Senator Nc
Mahon said.
Cost Close to Few Tanks"
While the cost Of an atomic
bomb probably can be and is
being brought down, Mr.. Dean re-
piled. it would eventually be closer
to the cost of "a few tanks" in
stead of the cost of a single tank.
He said he meant the big, expen-
sive tanks.
Senator Mcmahon also told the
Senate that by cutting back on
the costly weapons of yesterday
and forging ahead with the far
cheaper atomic weapons of today
and tomorrow I believe we can
make our country invincible
IN tul!-scale war and exempt from
the cold-war threat of bank
ruptcy"
Senator McMahon did not say
how long he thought it would
take to achieve such atomic Sc
curity. and he said Russia is hard
at work on atomic weapons,
giving them top priority.
Before the House committee,
Mr.. Dean cautioned against any
feeling that the field of atomic
energy and United States ad-
vances as of today are an as
suranre of security.
Il do not think there is any
quick and easy method of procur-
ing total security" Mr.. Dean said.
He predicted that within a dec
ace the United States will have
what he called the beginning"
OF an atomic air force.
He had this to say on new
atomic weapons:
There is already today some
hexibility in the program which
would permit other uses against
military targets, and this will be-
increasingly so as the other mem
berS of the family of weapons
enter the stockpile.
Atomic weapons now can be
used for tactical warfare pur-
poses and bombed areas can be
occupied by troops in "a reason
ably short time" he said.
Production of bombs, he said,
sis going up at a very substantial
rate" and the present stockpile
Of bombs would be very effect
i've" if war came Immediately.
Mr.. Dean testified in support of
extra funds, approximately $500
million, to continue the Acc con-
Struction program already under