ATOMIC WARS LESS DESTRUCTIVE?

Chronicle (Levin), 13 September 1946, Page 5

ATOMIC WARS LESS DESTRUCTIVE?

Press Assn.

Bv Telegraph

-Copyright

Received Thursday, 7 p.m. NEW YORK, Sept. 11. Colonel Bradley Dewey, addressing the Ameriean Chemical ' Society at Chicago, read a portion of the atomie report by the L joint Chiefs of Staff which hitherto had been held secret, the main purport of which asserted that "national security dictates the i adoption of a policy of instant readiness to clefend ourselvcs vigorously against atomic attack at any time." The report said the atomic weapon had not altered the enduring principle that olfensive strength is the best defence. Therefore, so long as atomic bombs could conceivably be used against Ameriea, there must be the continued production of atomic material and research development in all fields. Colonel Deivey explained that there was no positive defence against nuclcar fission except negative precautions sucli as keeping ■ at a safe distance. He pointed out that over an area of several square miles, steel and concrete ivalls would crack and bulge. He ivas of opinion that atomic wars did not necessarily mean the extinction of eivilisation but could mean shorter wars and wars : less destructive to eivilisation.