Evening star., 1954-10-09
Lure of Antorcticu

Plans for the most ambitious of all
Antarctic exploration projects yet formu-
lated-establishment of chain of meteor
illogical observation stations extending
from the South Pole itself to the frozen
waters east of the Palmer PeninSula-ap-
parently have met with complete White
House approval This is indicated by the
fact that small preliminary scouting ex-
pedition, consisting of one Navy icebreaker,
has been ordered into the vast ice wilder
ness this winter. The major expedition
would leave late next year.
The project has been drawn up by the
National Research Council as one of this
country'S chief contributions to the Inter-
national Geophysical Year of 1857 when ap-
proximately thirty nations will cooperate
to solve some of the most pressing prob
lens now faced by scientists.
There has been much misunderstanding
over the purposes of Antarctic expeditions
American, British, French, Norwegian,
Chilean and Argentinian-during the past
ten years. They have been accompanied by
rumors of vast mineral wealth, especially
deposits of the highly strategic uranium.
Little can be said in support of this. Prob
ably less than 200 square miles of the Ant
arctic continent are free of ice. It is quite
likely that an area as large as Antarctica-
about the size of the United States and
Europe combined-contains about every
mineral ever known. How any of these can
be found to say nothing of recovered be-
meath ice from a mile to five miles thick,
is an apparently unansWerable question.
There are very large coal deposits shown by
exposed mountain tops, as reported repeat
edly by Rear Admiral Richard E. Byrd. Their
foti Iooi iYnr Ivy oci
They may be of value in some remote
future.
Much also has been rumored about the
strategic Importance of the Southern CONT
nent. Here the rumors are on somewhat
firmer grounds. Nobody ever has suggested
an important air route over the South Pole.
But in the Antarctic the problems of the
Arctic - navigational aeronautical and
those of almost every phase of human living
are encountered in an exaggerated degree.
Thus the south polar regions constitute an
almost ideal training ground where all sorts
of operations can be carried out without
fear of international complications.
The second factor that might be called
strategic is that the cup-like depression
around the South Pole apparently is the
birthplace of about half the worlds weather.
There is increasing evidence that the
weather of the Southern hemisphere has
pronounced effects on that of the Northern
hemisphere. Study of this weather pattern,
near the ground and far aloft perhaps can
be considered the major single purpose of
the contemplated expedition. There are
many other problems to be considered
cosmic radiation, the southern lights, the
magnetic fields of the earth. Such consid-
erations far outweigh any material wealth
which might be expected in the Antarctic
President Eisenhower has stated wisely
that American explorations will not be made
a basis for territorial claims. National title
to very large territory might be supported
on the basis of American discoveries and
explorations. But claims at this time might
lead only to petty wrangling. The only OBJ
jective would be to have few hundred
thousand square miles of barren ice colorec
red white and blue when represented on