Evening star., 1963-01-17
Khrushchev on War

Never has Soviet leader spoken
out so strongly against war as has Nikita
KhruShchev in his remarkable speech to
the East German Communist Congress.
In effect without mentioning them by
name, he has told the Chinese Reds
that their StaliniSt eSpouSal of armed
conflict in the nuclear age adds up to a.
kind of insanity monstrouS reckless
ness, that merits the condemnation of
peoples everywhere.
This is so, in Mr.. KhruShchev's view,
because global war with ic-hydro-
gen weapons would unleash such un-
imaginable destruction that there could
be nc victorS in the end, but only the
nquiShed-CommuniSt and non-Com-
munist alike. And by way of illustration,
he has had the following to say to his
East Berlin audience: "Our scientists
have developed new 100-megaton bomb.
This bomb equivalent to 100 million
tons of TINT could not be used in West
ern Europe because 1t would hit France
and Germany and you, too. The bomb
could only be used overseas against a
potential aggresSor" presum-
ably, the United States.
But the Soviet Premier, as If in an
effort to pound some sense into the
heads of the bellicose Chinese Commu-
nists and make them understand that
100-megaton weapons are not the key
to Red totalitarian domination of the
world, has gone on to add: "The United
States has 10000 atomic or nuclear war
heads. What would happen if one let
all those bombs come down on human
ity? Seven hundred to eight hundred
million people would perish. Countries
would be rubbed out. Would social
ism communism win by thermonu-
clear war? No. You cannot build So
cialiSm in an atomic-infeSted territory"
Actually, there is some reason to
feel that Mr.. KhruShchev and his intel
ligence sources may have erred on the
conservative side in estimating the total
number and total destructive force of
our country's fiSsion and fusion weapons.
STILL be that as it may, few American
experts would deny the validity of his
assertion that neither his side nor ours
could hope for real victory in an all
out war with such weapons. For that
kind of conflict would swiftly break the
back of civilization as we know it, and
many of those surviving amid the uni
versal desolation might we'll wish they
were among the countless millions dead.
Surely, if Mr.. KhruShchev feels as
deeply about all this as he has just indi-
Gated, then he should act affirmatively
on the peaceful propositions outlined in
President Kennedy'S State-of-the-U Union
message. In that connection, it is inter
eSting to recall that some years ago
Winston Churchill, brooding over what
could happen "if God wearied of man
kind" in the atomic era, raised the hope
that the terror Of the new instruments
of mass destruction would permanently
deter their use and that "the day may
dawn when fair play, love of ones fell
low men, respect for justice and freedom,
will enable tormented generations to
march forth serene and triumphant
from the hideous epoch in which we
have to dwell"
Now, at long last, at least some little
progress in that direction ought to be
possible if Mr.. Khrushchev and his COL
leagues are really as anti-war as they
say. If they are, then the time is at hand
for the Kremlin to begin striving honest
ly with the West to reach what the
President has summed up as "areas of
agreement very wide indeed: A clear
understanding about Berlin, stability in
Southeast Asia, an end to nuclear test
ing, new checks on surprise or acci-
dental attack, and, ultimately, general
and complete disarmament"
XOur Vooua Mr. Kbr,iehobav