Evening star., 1961-11-12
Not Impressed

Thank you for providing
background material on the
illustrious career of DR.. VIII
lard F. Libby, author Of your
current series on Survival"
I am not impressed.
In his second article deal
ing with Fact and Fallacy,
constant reference is made to
"an H-bomb" or blast
always the singular. If an at
tack is ever launched against
our cities it will be done with
an objective to destroy them
completely - searching out
each and every individual
with the most beastly weap-
ons ever known to man,
many of which are not even
mentioned by DR.. Libby. I re-
fer to all arsenals of the ma
jor powers containing weap-
ons that cover the ground
areas with strong radiation
contamination for months
also gases that are capable
of spreading any disease de-
sired.
DR.. Libby does not men,
ton that just one ten meg
atom bomb will produce
a firestorm covering 5000
square miles-removing all
oxygen from the air. He does
not mention that a 3O-mega-
ton bomb will produce a era
ter one-half mile in diameter
and $50 feet deep-and once
again. is there any fool that
believes the most fantastic
pattern of ICBMs would not
be launched-or our experts
naive enough to think we'll
get a shot or two to shake
us up?
If this country is going to
survive it will be out in the
open, waging a moral victory
for peace - not feeding on
the cancer of fear. The
American people deserve to
be told the truth.
Frank B. Christopher.
= = . =
DR.. Libby makes a nuclear
holocaust sound like a pic
mic. Who can really visualize
the horror Of a bombed out
Washington?
Let the Russians have East
Germany - it's no bargain
and let West Berlin be a
free city with guaranteed ac-
cess - but that's all. Then
let them understand that's
the end for them and us.
Advance. and take up Khru-
shchev's offer for total dis
armament with total inspec-
ton. He seems genuinely de.
sirous of peace while ad-
vancing the cause of COM
munism. The Germans have
caused enough trouble - two
world wars.
James Joust.
= y =
I am shocked to find that
you are printing "facts" by
DR.. Willard Libby about nu-
clear war which are so in
complete as to appear almost
purposely misleading.
Ninety to $50 can survive
an atomic attack" says DR..
Libby and says the Stars
radio commercials. But how
large an atomic attack? An
attack on what targets? At
what time Of day? No facts"
are given.
Just "a hours prior to read
ing this item on your front
page, I was attending a lee
ture by another scientist who
has been involved in the
development of nuclear war
materials for nearly 20. years.
DR.. Ralph E. Lapp told the
assembled medical personnel
of the Johns Hopkins Hos
pital the following: No cur
rently conceived program Of
civil defense will be effective
If a nuclear attack on the
U. s. A. exceeds $500 mega
tons. Above that level, the
radioactive contamination Of
agriculture would render the
continent uninhabitable.
How likely is an attack Of
$500 megatons? According to
DR.. Lapp, the first strike
capability of our SAC bombers
alone is estimated at 10000
megatons. Certainly the Rus
SLAMS must have about the
same capability. There are
also second strike" and may
be third strike" capabilities
on both sides to be reckoned
with. And 1t is hard to i'm
agine that the Great Powers
would restrain themselves
during a nuclear war. Each
has promised to devastate the
other.
I'm sure DR.. Libby knows
these facts. I suspect the