Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1956-03-23
Trial Run for Peace

The latest Soviet nuclear test should
come as surprise to nobody. After all,
since our own country and Britain are
active in the same field (our newest
detonations are scheduled to begin next
month at Eniwetok), why should anyone
be startled to hear that the Russians, too
are engaged in such experimentation?
Actually, as long as there is no effective
international agreement on controlling
acknowledgement weapons, the COMPETE
ton now going on must be regarded as
sort of inevitability.
To say this, however, is not to suggest
that the situation may safely be viewed
with complacency. Far from it. For what
the world is seeing, in these periodic
British Soviet American experimental
explosions, is the deadliest arms race in
history-a race SO dangerous, so terrible,
so fantastic in terms of the destructive
power involved that it could conceivably
lead to war capable of annihilating all
life on our planet And that is why man
kind must prayerfully hope that the
Russians will react favorably to the pro-
posal for near-future small-Scale trial
of President Eisenhower's open skies"
plan for mutual international insurance
against sudden surprise attack.
The proposal has been made by
Harold StaSSen at the current London
talks of the f1ve-poWer United Nations
Disarmament Subcommittee. Given the
KremlinS acceptance, the Soviet Union
and the United States would each permit
close inspection of special area of $1,000
to 10000 square miles inside its borders.
Although nothing of top-secret nature
would be included, the areas would con-
tain air1elds, ports railway terminals
and some military forces and facilities.
They would be open, on strictly recip-
rocal basis, to aerial surveillance and
careful ground checks by teams made
up not only of Russians and Americans
but also of Frenchmen, Britons and
Canadians.
AS explained by Mr.. Stassen on be-
half of the President, the purpose of such
an arrangement-Which would cover
only relatively minute segments of the
two countries-would be to test the work.
ability of the "open skies" plan and
eliminate whatever bugs" might be
found in it. Then, if the results turned
out to be mutually satisfactory and reas-
surfing, Mr.. EisenhoWer's idea could be
applied in a full-Scale manner. That
would mean that Russia and the United
States, in addition to exchanging. COM
plete military blueprints, would establish
the most thoroughgoing system Of con-
tinuous reciprocal air and ground inspec-
ton over their territories and their
facilities in allied countries, and the same
sort of surveillance would be extended to
other cooperating nations.
Even a sketchy outline of this plan
plainly indicates that many great prob
lens would have to be solved before it
could be fully effectuated. But the Presi-
dent and all our top military authorities
are confident that it can be made to work
as an International alarm system effec-
lively protecting Russia, the United
States and every other country against
the danger of decisive surprise atomic
hydrogen assault. Beyond that, by breed
ing mutual confidence, it would lead in
time to real arms control and the kind
of peace in which the whole world could
trust and feel secure. Certainly, if the
Kremlin is genuinely interested in NOV
ing toward such peace, it should favor
the trial run proposed by Mr.. Stassen.