Evening star., 1961-09-12
IF We Are Not First

several InOuSano Sel1-Styled paci-
lists have just marched to the American
Embassy in London to protest against
what they have called President Ken
nedy's "tit-for-tat" decision to resume
Underground nuclear tests, which do
not contaminate the air that man
breathes. In effect, the demonstrators
have taken the position that the United
States simply ought to ignore the fact
that the Soviet Union, after having
abruptly and ominouSIy shattered the
moratorium proclaimed nearly three
years ago, has staged no fewer than six
atmospheric detonationS (the kind that
unleaSheS potentially dangerous radio
active fallout) within the past ten days.
The pacifistic viewpoint (some of
those who eSpouse it also noisily mouth
the somewhat craven slogan, Better
Red than Dead") probably is sincere
thing among the majority taking part
IN demonstrations like the London
march. However, with all due respect
to the wholesome intentions of these
people, and to their do-gooding desire
to be friends with everybody and make
the lions and the lambs lie down to-
gether in mutual and affectionate trust,
there is ample reason, it seems to us,
to take a reserved view of their attitude.
This is so because it is an attitude that
appears to be sort of wishful, soft
headed and perhaps weakened form
Of Self-deluSion, and possibly it is more
to be pitied than SCorned because of it's
emotional and intellectual Shallowness
Moreover, wholly apart from the
Hental and spiritual confusion to be
found among the militant British paci-
fists, we have in our own midst more
than few Americans who suggest that
Mr.. Kennedy should delay the reSump-
ton of underground tests-regardless
of what the Kremlin is doing with multi
megaton detonationS in the earth's
atmoSphere-for a period of indefinite
duration And why should our Govern
ment do so? Well, because such for
bearance might serve to crystalline or
mobilize world opinion" (whatever that
may bel against Nikita Khrushchev'S
program of explosions, and thus
possibly, conceivably-he might be per-
suaded or 'pressured" into turning over
new leaf, stopping the shots and being
nice to everybody.
How naive can one get? And how
much are the American people, together
with their allies, willing to risk in the
hope that the Kremlin-whose word has
been broken countless times in the last
40 years-will play honest ball and stop
trying to bury the West, by fair means
or foul, as Mr.. KhruShchev has vowed?
True enough, If we and the rest of the
free world are firm, it should be possible
to negotiate with the SovietS to avert
war, and perhaps lay the groundwork
for decent peace. Meanwhile, though,
all of us would do we'll to keep in mind
these words of Rhode Islands Senator
Pastore, veteran member of the Joint
Congressional Atomic Committee, who
spoke them some months ago.
We who have been close to the astounding
expansion of nuclear weapons know that the
fantastic OF today is the fact of tomorrow
1t could be the Russians. 1t could be ours
But it cannot be ours unless we test At
stake is the freedom of the world say that
we must resume our underground testing
10 IullIllIlS dRdlIlSG us. In GIe COlQ
war there is no second best for freedom. If
we are not first-we are lost. "
World opinion has no cash value with
Khrushchev. l would rather risk loss of world
opinion than loss of our own national security.
II we act wisely now. we will jeopardize
neither. -. To those who fear that we might
lose face let us remind them-and ourselves
that more than face will be lost if the citadels
of freedom crumbe before our eyes
Enough said. We think these are
words sufficiently eloquent and sensible
to be requoted as an answer to fuzzy
minded paCifiSts everywhere, and to
those among us who favor the idea of
indefinitely postponing American nu-
clear tests of type that could be of
decisive Importance to the survival of
America and the free world at large.