POWER OF NEW BOMB

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 70, Issue 115, 28 February 1950, Page 3

POWER OF NEW BOMB

SCIENTISTS’ VIEWS COULD KILL EVERYONE (N.Z.P. A.—Copyright) NEW YORK, Feb. 2G. Four atomic scientists said today that one hydrogen bomb could create enough radio-active dust to kill everyone in the world. Winds - would carry the dust round the earth and it would gradually poison all humans, animals, and plant , life. The Chief spokesman for the scientists was Dr. Leao Szilard, a biophysicist of the University of Chicago, who said in a broadcast speech that this devastation could be achieved by placing harmless chemical elements such as cobalt or carbon in a hydrogen bomb. They would be turned into radie-active dijst when it exploded. Five hundred tons of heavy hydrogen in one bomb would make enough dust to cover the earth.

Dr. Hans Bethe,'a physicist of Cornell University, said that a large number of hydrogen bombs used in any war could create radio-activity lasting for 5000 years. This would make life on earth impossible. However, there were still two hopeful facts. First, the hydrogen bomb had not been made, and it had not been conceived definitely how it would be made. Second, the bomb would have to be so big and heavy that delivery by aeroplane or guided missile might be a difficult problem. The scientists said tihat they talked about the bomb not to friglien people but to inform them of the facts. Professor Paul Elliott, a physicist who worked on the atomic bomb project, said that several hydrogen bombs exploded simultaneously high in'-the air might change the earth’s orbit round the sun »or speed up its rotation.

“The seasons might, be changed—for instance, winter made longer and sum mer shorter —and we might have 370 days in the year instead of 365,” he said. - >

He baped his theory on the fact that the earth received its energy from the sun at the rate of about 41b of hydro gen exploding every second. A : manmade hydrogen explosion conceivably could be strong enough to alter the earth’s movement.

COULD STAND ONLY ONE GENERAL’S VIEW OF BRITAIN’S DEFENCE (Rec. 9.J5 a.m.) LONDON, Feb. 27. Genei’al Sir Frederick Pile, who was commander of Britain’s wartime anti-aircraft defences, and was responsible for measures to combat flying-bombs and rockets, said to-day that if Britain was attacked by the ordinary atom bomb she probably would stand 10, but she could stand only one hydrogen bomb. “That means 100 per cent, defence, and that is not easy. The hydrogen bomb could be brought over not by air or rocket but in the hold of a ship, left here for quite a long time, and blown up at Comrade Stalin’s selected moment.” General Pile added that if the projectile could be controlled accurately, eventually it could be made to strike any aeroplane or rocket.