Evening star., 1954-01-09
For Sharing Atomic Secrets

Congress should be quick to act favorably
on the Presidents request for legislative
authority permitting him to "share with our
allies certain knowledge of the tactical use Of
our nuclear weapons" Our atomic law, in its
present form, contains restrictions against such
a sharing, but the law was adopted in 1916
more than seven years ago-and developments
since then have plainly demonstrated that it
needs to be amended in this and other
particulars
The Presidents proposals. set forth in
his state-of- the Union messages a matter Of
simple common sense based on military logic
that is hardly open to challenge. Nuclear arma-
ments (A-weapons and the hydrogen bomb)
are having truly revolutionary impact on all
the old, traditional concepts Of defensive and
offensive warfare. AS result-in terms of
size, composition, tactics and strategy-land,
sea and air power is in highly significant
process of change, particularly as regards the
functions and numerical makeup of ground
forces.
Thus in relation to the security require
.ments of our own country, President Eisenhower
has clearly stated that the fearsome new weap-
ons will permit economies in the use of men,"
This is another way of saying that our military
eStablishment-especial the Army-is in a
period when it must recast its tactical and Stra-
tegical thinking in accord with the fact that
nuclear armaments can substitute. on rather
large scale, for manpower as heretofore organ
ized in conventional armed forces. Further as
implied in the state-of- the Union message the
United States, being less than confident that
the Russians will agree in the foreseeable future
to genuinely effective system Of reduction and
control of arms of all types, intends to make
atomic power the main defensive instrument of
the free world now and in the years ahead
power to be used only for the purpose Of deter
ring aggression by maintaining massive allied
capability to strike back against any attacker.
But how does our atomic law figure in all
this? The Presidents cogent answer is that our
own national defense will be stronger II the act
of 1946 is amended to let our key allies have
access-"under appropriate security safeguards"
to limited amount of now-classified data
bearing upon tactical military operations. Such
a legislative revision-which would lead the
British for example, to give us valuable ideas
and information in exchange-is particularly
needed to bring the North Atlantic Treaty
Organization up to date. AS matters stand,
NATO's vital planning is being seriously
hampered by lack of adequate A-weapons
knowledge.
It is for this reason, primarily, that the
President has asked for relaxation Of present
restrictions His request has the full indorse-
ment of our Atomic Energy Commission, our
Joint Chiefs of STAFF and the Nations highest
civilian authorities in the Defense Department.
BY acting aff1rmatively on it, and promptly.
Congress will be serving the best interests OF
the United States. The NATO alliance-the
chief defensive bulwark of our Western world
requires such action to make the most OF its
great potential.
There is one important fact which seems
implicit in all this however, and 1t should be
clearly understood. AS we come to rely more
and more on nuclear weapons, and less and less
ION conventional weapons, we will find ourselves
compelled to turn away from any proposal to
outlaw the so-called weapons of mass destruc-
tion. Fortunately, there seems little prospect
now that we will be forced into position in
which we would have to take clearcut stand
on this matter.