Evening star., 1954-04-01
'H-Bomb Hysteria'
Rages in Headlines
Of British Press
BY the Assoeiaied Press

BY the Assoeiafsd Press
LONDON, April 1.-The great
debate on the perils of the
hydrogen bomb ragged on in the
British press today in what one
newspaper called an atmosphere
of "H- bomb hysteria."
While both Conservatives and
Laborites girded for full dis
cussion in the House of Com
mons next Monday. newspapers
Wed with one another in head
lines, editorials and features to
hammer home their views on
the aWesome weapon.
The pro-Labor tabloid Daily
Mirror devoted it's entire front
page to H-bomb developments
and opened a public opinion poll
asking readers to vote yes or
no on:
%. Should Churchill at once
openly invite Eisenhower and
Malenkov to a conference on the
H-bomb? 2. Should Churchill
ask Eisenhower and Malenkov
to stop further H-bomb tests
in the meantime?"
The Mirror has a circulation
Of more than AZ million daily.
Earl Russell Interviewed.
The liberal London News
Chronicle carried an interview
with Earl Russell in which the
world famed philosopher and
mathematician said Americas
H-bomb tests must be helping
to persuade" Russia to enter an
international atomic agreement.
The Mirror in an editorial at
tackled Mr.. Churchill as "the
giant in decay" and said he is
too cid and tired to speak any
longer for Britain.
Scare" headlines blazoned
forth in other newspapers over
yesterdays statement by Rear
Admiral Lewis Strauss United
States Atomic Energy Commits
sion chairman, that a hydrogen
bomb could be built big enough
to put any city out of commits
sion.
The Laborite Daily Herald,
under headline "H-bomb can
wreck any city," printed a pic
ture of New York's skyline cap
toned: This skyline could be
shattered" 1t called editorially
for Britain to demand a halt in
further tests.
Calls for "Pause Now.
Zone H-bomb can wreck all
London" blared the front page
headline in the Conservative tab
loid Daily Sketch. In an editorial
the paper called for the West to
pause now" in it's nuclear tests
to see if Russia might be willing
to enter an atomic control agree
ment.
"One H-bomb can kill New
York." headlined the Conserva-
tive Britain Mail. It said Mr..
Churchill next Monday may say
whether Britain is to pursue an
all-out development of hydrogen
bombs herself or intensity her
efforts to bring the United States
and Russia together.
Warning Against Scrapping.
Load Beaverbrook's pro-empire
Evening Standard said editor
tally that the H-bomb "does
appear to have had a quite re-
markable effect on the minds of
many people-turning ordinarily
sane men and women into
hysterical and irrational beings" :"
The editorial warned that
until a general world settlement
is reached, "It is dangerous non
sense to demand that the coun-
tries of the West should scrap
precisely those weapons which
have guaranteed the safety of
the free world in the past eight
years-and can continue to do
so in the future"
The paper agreed with Prime
Minister Churchill's statement
to the House of Commons Tues
day that the bomb is the great
est possible deterrent to the out
break of World War III"
Most newspapers heavily
splashed Mr.. Churchill's an
nouncement yesterday that he
would permit a full debate in
Commons on the hydrogen bomb
for next Monday. He said he
would speak himself on the gov
erment's position and policy.
Most newspapers interpreted
Mr.. Churchill's decision to call
a debate as a retreat before La
borites who have clamored loudly
for greater assurances from the
government on perilS and prob
lens of the bomb.