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The Bay of Plenty Beacon Published Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. WEDNESDAY, OCT. 9, 1946. THE ATOMIC BOMB

THE atomic bomb is number one factor in world politics today. The country that possesses the sole secret of this devastating weapon holds the greatest destructive power obtained by man. It is not surprising that mankind the world over is perturbed at the present situation. History has been changed in its prospective line of development by the alterations made in offensive weapons. The battle of Actium was won by the forces favourable to the Emperor Augustus by reason of the possession of Greek fire, which enabled the ships of Mark Anthony and Cleopatra to be set on fire. The development of the Welsh long-bow permitted a man taking cover to send a shaft through the armour and mail of a knight on horseback. The development of artillery made obsolete the old baronial castle. The development of the iron ship gave to the United Kingdom the lead previously enjoyed by the United States as the world’s best ship build-

ers. The submarine nearly brought starvation to the United Kingdom during the first world war. The aeroplane nearly resulted in the smashing of London out of recognition. Berlin did so suffer. Despite these epoch-making discoveries the world has gone on apace and humanity has accommodated itself to the new situations that were in each instance created. There can be no doubt but that it will be found undesirable to employ the atomic bomb in future wars because it will, in all probability, be available to too many nations. The present monopoly of knowledge concerning its use will soon break down and the probability is that the expense involved in preparing the atomic* bomb will soon be lessened. The first atomic bomb that was dropped upon Japanese territory was obsolete by the time the second bomb was exploded. Such progress in scientific knowledge will assuredly bring greater facility of manufacture- in its train. At the moment the prospect of the/.bomb becoming common property is hampered by the scarcity, relatively, of the metals which contain the atomic energy in such form that it can be released under control. The presence of these metals in the earth has made some people ask the question whether their selfrelease of energy at some time might not be responsible for precipitating this planet. It is an uncomfortable thought and those gentlemen who enjoy themselves.by engaging in predictions concerning the end of the world will have more than fuel for their fire from now on. Scientists are not troubled on this score because the explosive metals are rare and widely distributed. If the scientists are wrong on this point everyone will, as the Irishman said, “wake up one morning and find themselves dead.” The eighteenth century saw wars carried on by professional soldiers who, because of the smallness of numbers, were able to make war a gentleman’s game. They had their rules and they abided . by them, save on occasions when they thought it paid better to forget them. Napoleon, by raising the citizen army, ushered in the era of conscription, and subsequent developments have carried everyone into the front line. The front line is actually everywhere nowadays. The atomic bomb may be said to have exploded the theory of the front line. Some halt must be accomplished so that at least the women and children and the unconscientious objectors can have their fighting done for them. There have been attempts before at limiting the destructive agencies in wartime, but as warfare is competitive destructive action the attempts at limitation have generally failed. Yet throughout the latest war there were two phases that merit attention: one, the thorughness with which the German army commanders adhered to the rules of war in-their relations with the British and Americans in the field and in their dealings with prisoners of war; the second, the abstention from the employment of poison gas. True, Hitler soon found the Allies had air superiority and that in a gas war Germany was ill placed; but there was.a period when he could have ordered the use of gas when it would have been very much to his advantage—at the time at least—for him to have employed it. It was not morality which restrained him, but the knowledge that the mutual destructiveness of such a war would so weaken Germany that even though it proved to be stronger than its opponents it could hardly hope to reap any reward for victory.. Will the same considerations apply todhe. atomic bomb? It '.depends upon to whom passes the power of using it. If an irresponsible set of men were to become possessors of the atomic bomb they would possibly use it in an irresponsible manner. It is against such as these that the politicians are opposing the views at the scientists, and in this instance at least the chances are about equal that the politician knows more what he is talking about than does the scientist.

Permanent link to this item
Hononga pūmau ki tēnei tūemi

https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/BPB19461009.2.9

Bibliographic details
Ngā taipitopito pukapuka

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 10, Issue 35, 9 October 1946, Page 4

Word count
Tapeke kupu
833

The Bay of Plenty Beacon Published Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. WEDNESDAY, OCT. 9, 1946. THE ATOMIC BOMB Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 10, Issue 35, 9 October 1946, Page 4

The Bay of Plenty Beacon Published Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. WEDNESDAY, OCT. 9, 1946. THE ATOMIC BOMB Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 10, Issue 35, 9 October 1946, Page 4

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