Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1954-03-31
Noivete and the H-Bomb

In announcing tnat the united states mas
successfully staged the second in it's current
series of hydrogen-bomb tests in the Pacific,
Chairman Strauss of the Atomic Energy Com
mission has given good answer to all the
shallow critical comment that has been heard
on this subject in the past week or so.
The comment, as volunteered by numerous
atomic amateurs here in America and abroad
has laid stress chiefly on two points: % That
the tests might get out of control and con-
ceivably radioactivate the entire Pacific or re-
suit in some similar vast catastrophe. And (2)
that the United States should therefore put
an immediate end to them. Curiously, more
over, as If afflicted with blind spot or ide-
illogical partisanship, some of the people who
have been loudest in thus expressing them
selveS-ncluding Prime Minister Nehru of In
dia-have confined their criticism and fear.
mongering exclusively to what is being done by
our country. They have made no mention at all
of the fact that the Soviet Union is feverishly
engaged in the same sort of experimentation.
Although he has not addressed himself
directly to these people, Mr.. StrauSs-in brief
official statement-has effectively shown why
their line of reasoning, if it may be called that,
is thoroughly unjustified and unrealistic. In the
first place, he has made clear that elaborate
precautionary measures, extending over an i'm
menSe area of sea and sky around our Pacific
proving grounds, firmly insure against disas-
trous accidents or anything remotely compare
BILE to runaway thermonuclear explosion. And
beyond that, having in mind what the Russians
are doing, he has pontedly emphasized a
simple but extremely vital fact which the
nervous critics seem to have overlooked
namely, that information highly important to
national defense is being derived from this test
SERIES" Indeed, he might we'll have added, In
chorus with Representative Hinshaw of the
Senate-House Atomic Committee, that the free
world should thank God" that the United
States is capable of carrying out these expert
mental detonationS in behalf of its own and
interallied security.
One of those who is in full accord with this
view is the wise and redoubtable Prime Minister
Sir Winston Churchill. AS he has Just told the
House Of Commons, there is no foundation for
fears that our country's H-bomb tests will get
out OF control, and he is Fundamentally in
favor Of them Flatly rejecting Laborite de-
mands that he try to persuade our Government
to stop all such experimentation, and wryly
observing that certain English critics of our
program have said nothing against Soviet &C
tivity in the same field, he has summed up
Britain's position with these words: I'VE should
be doing great disservice to the free world If
we sought in any way to impede the progress
OF our American allies in building up their over
Whelming strength in the weapon which pro-
vides the greatest possible deterrent against
the outbreak of third world war;
Sir Winston, of course, is uniquely well
aware of the virtually indescribable fearsome-
ness Of the hydrogen bomb. But he is realist.
Unlike such people as Mr.. Nehru, he under
stands that American superiority in this weapon
and its atomic cousins must serve as the main
shield Of every free nation, including India, as
long as the Kremlin refuses to agree to true
disarmament and decent peace. 1t is this
fact, above all, that makes criticism of our
Pacific tests naive, stupid and comforting to the
enemy.