Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1956-10-16

arms would be equal to the fOrce
of one 20-megation hydrogen
bomb, which has already beer
Exploded.
Second, the testing of an H.
bomb anywhere can be quickly
detected. You can't hide the ex.
lplosion any more than you car
hide an earthquake.
AS the President has stated
TESTS of large weapons. by any
nation, may be detected when
they occur" In short, H-bomt
testing requires no inspection
We will know 1t when it happens
anywhere, and by studying the
dust from that explosion we can
determine what progress the
other country has made.
This means that If any country
broke its pledge, we would know
lit and could promptly resume
our own testing.
May Hurt Human Race
Third, these tests themselves
may cause the human race i'm.
measured damage.
With every explosion Of q
super-bomb, huge quantities OF
radioactive m a terials are
pumped into the air currents
of the world at all attitudes
later to fall TO earth as dust or
in rain. This radioactive fall
out" carries something called
istrontium-90, which is the most
dreadful poison in the world,
Only a tablespoon shared equally
by all members Of the human
race would produce a dangerous
level of radioactivity in the bones
of every individual. In sufficient
concentration it can cause bone
cancer and dangerous affect the
reproductive processes.
Prior to the atomic age, radio
active strontium was practically
non existent in the world. Care
full studies show that today all
of us-all over the world-have
some of it in our bones. It en-
tiers our bodies through the
Ifoodstuffs grown in soil on which
the bomb dust has fallen.
/ do not wish to be an alarm
list, and am not asserting that
the present levels Of radio
activity are dangerous. Scien-
fists do not know exactly how
dangerous the threat is. But
they know the threat will in
crease if we go on testing. And
we should remember that less
than half Of the strontium
created by past tests by Russia
and the United States has as yet
fallen to earth from the strato-
sphere.
So it seems clear to me that
If it is humanity possible we
should stop sending this danger
Gus material into the air just
as soon as we can
Danger of Maniac
Fourth. The dangers of test
ing by three powers are ominous
enough, but there is another
reason why it is important TO
act now. Last May, Mr.. Stassen.
the Presidents disarmament as
sistant, said that within . year
the secret" of making the hy-
drogen bomb would spread
around the world. Think what
would happen If a maniac, an
other Hitler. had the hydrogen
bomb. And imagine what the
consequences would be If a dozen
nations conducting hydrogen
bomb tests and wantonly thrust
ing radioactive matter into the
atmosphere.
These are the reasons that it
seems to me imperative that a
world policy of stopping these
tests be established at the very
first possible moment.
Simple Proposal
I proposed last April that the
United States take the initia-
tive toward this end by an
nouncing our willingness to stop
these tests, calling upon other
nations to follow our lead" and
making it clear that unless they
did likewise we would have to
resume our experiments, too.
That was my proposal. 1t was
simple. 1t was safe. 1t was
workable.
And since that time, both Rus
STA and Great Britain have de-
clared their willingness to join
us in trying to establish the kind
of policy l have suggested.
What are we waiting for?
1t seems to me that we should
lose no more time in starting to
make the most Of what appears
to be a better climate for prog
Iress in this field.
Therefore. if elected President,
I would count it the first order
of business to follow up on the
opportunity presented now by
the other atomic powers. I would
do this by conference or by con-
sultation--at whatever level-in
whatever place - the circum-
stances might suggest would be
most fruitful.
In the meantime-and frankly
because bitter experience has
proved that we cannot rely even
on the firm agreemnt Of one
bloc Of world powers-we will
proceed both with the production
of hydrogen weapons and with
further research in the field.
There is little danger To TIA
tional security involved because
II another power conducts
further tests we would know 1t
and, as ! have said, would have
no choice but to resume such
tests ourselves.
Hits Safeguards Argument
Now Just a word about the
opposition that has developed to
this proposal from the President,
Mr. NfxOn and otharu