Evening star., 1960-10-11
Mr.. Kennedy on TESTING

In his reply to Thomas E. Murrays
open letter on the subject, Senator Ken
nedy has come out against the idea of
Immediately or soon revoking our coun-
try's present Self-imposed ban on under
ground and outer-space nuclear tests.
What he favors, instead, is vigorous
continuation of negotiations, for "a rea-
sonable period of time" to find out
whether the Kremlin is really prepared
to join in IAN effective and realistic
agreement" to put a permanent end to
all such military experimentation.
But what is reasonableneSs, and how
far should 1t be carried? The point of
Mr.. Murray's letter, which has been
addressed also to Vice President Nixon,
is that Anglo-Soviet-A American teSt-ban
talks have been dragging on at Geneva
for nearly two years now and that the
Russians nevertheless steadfaStly con-
tinue to reject any kind of policing
worthy Of the name. Meanwhile,
although we and the British have
suspended all types of atomic-hydrogen
detonationS, it is entirely possible, if not
probable, that the Kremlin has been
cheating on us by staging numerous
undetectable clandestine shots that
could place us at deadly dangerous
disadvantage in the arms race, particu-
larly as regards the development of
missile warheads and revolutionary
small" A and H weapons.
1t is because of this grim possibility
that Mr.. Murray, an outStandingly
knowledgeable former member Of the
Atomic Energy Commission, has urged
that the United States forthwith rescind
its voluntary suspension Of underground
and outer-space Shots Many other top
experts, including Acc Chairman Nc
Cone, are of essentially the same opin-
ion, and it is significant that Senator
Humphrey has grown similarly leery of
Soviet negativiSm and dilatoriness in the
Geneva negotiations. AS result, al
though he has been one Of the bans
strongest, advocates, he now holds, as
chairman of the Foreign Relations Dis
armament Subcommittee, that our coun-
try should resume testing next June If
the Kremlin by that time is still holding
out against a ban agreement providing
for genuinely trustworthy system of
inspection and control.
Mr.. Kennedy also suggests dead
line, but he is vague about it. He merely
says that If he is elected President, he
will prescribe a reasonable but definite
time limit within which to determine"
whether or not the Russians are Stalling.
But how long is this time limit to be?
Another year? Another two years? And
what happens to our nuclear position in
the intervening period If the Soviet
Union is actually engaged in a cheating
program? The Senator has left these
and kindred questions so much up in the
air that 1t must be hoped he will answer
them specifically between now and the
end of his campaign.
And it must be hoped, too, that Mr.
Nixon, who has spoken at least as vague
ly about 1t as Mr.. Kennedy, will clarity
his own views on this matter. The issue
involved is too crucial, of course, to be
kicked around as If it were a political
football, but the two candidates ought
to be able to discuss it more precisely
than they have thus far, and in a non-
partisan spirit, In any case, speaking for
ourselves, we share Mr. Murray'S feel
ing that the Geneva palavering has
gone on about long enough, that the
danger of Soviet cheating is altogether
real, and that our country must not hesi-
tate to resume testing for safety'S sake,
and the sooner the better.