COULD END CIVILISATION

Chronicle (Levin), 1 October 1948, Page 5

COULD END CIVILISATION

New Atomic Bombs More Deadly Received Friday, 12.30 a.m. ( , PARIS, Sept. 30. New atomic bombs far more powerful than those dropped on Japan, were capable of bringing to an end civilisation as we know it," said General McNaughton, president of the Canadian Atomic Enei gy Control Eoard, opening the debate on atomic energy in the United Nations' Political Committee. He added that the United States was the only nation in the world with enough atom bombs to wage atomic war. General McNaughton expressed the hope that the debate in the Assembly following the eollapse of negotiations in the Atomic Energy Commission and the Russian veto in the Security Council, would create a basis for resumed negotiations between East and "West.

He praised the United States'^ plan for international control of atomic energy and said the Russian plan would not provide adequate safeguards. "Control as envisaged by the Soviet plan would merely seriously reduce the military strength of the United States which is the only nation in possession of atomic bombs, at least in any amount capable of being used for an atomic war." General McNaughton said that Canada asked the Political Committee to recognise the "grave langers to international peaee md security" resulting from the iack of atomic energy control. 3anada, he said, blamed Russia :'or its absence of control. General McNaughton tabled a ■esolution deploring Russia 's atti:ude and calling upon all nations :o fulfil their responsibilities to he world community b.y accepting | is n'ecessary the basis for such mntrol as was approved by the Itomic Energy Commission. The preamble to" the resolution •ecognises "no alternative to the mluntary sharing by the nations >f their sovereignty " in the itomic field if the world is to surdve the atomic age.

General McNaughton called upon the General Assembly to approve the United States' plan for atomic control and urged all United Nations members to accept ihe plan as the basis for the development of international control. The United States delegate, Mr. Warren Austin, attacked the Soviet plan for outlawing - the bomb without effective international control. He said the slow progress on this problem was not the fault of the West but ' of Russia. "Fear has supplanted hope because the Soviet Union insists upon placing its sovereignty above the security and survival of all. We must have some collective effort to lift this atomic discovery from death to life. If the United States alone eontrolled atomic energy, it could have a relatively brief term of security. Only by international safeguards against the use of atomic energy for destructive purposes, can we secure long term security." At the request of the Soviet delegate, Mr. Vyshinsky, the committee adjourned to study the Canadian resolution.