NOT SHARING ATOMIC SECRETS

Chronicle (Levin), 7 October 1948, Page 7

NOT SHARING ATOMIC SECRETS

-Reuter,

Britain And America Fear Russia Poiitical Committee's Discussion

(N.Z.P.A.-

Copyright)

Received Thursday, 10.45 a.m., PARIS, October 6. The British Minister of State, Mr. Hector McNeil, told Russia today that t'ear of the Soviet prevented Britain and America handing over the atomic bomb secret and destroying their stocks of bombs. Mr. McNeil was addressing the Poiitical Committee of the United Nations General Assembly when it resumed the . debate on the report of the Atomic Energy Commission. He said that an unbridgeaole gulf existed between the Western Powers' majority and the Boviet Union and its supporters' minority in the Atomic Energy Commission. Mr. McNeil added that an adequate system of inspection would have to be built up "if we are to succour the world from this fear that inhibits all our normal international relations.

"The United States, Britain and all the Governments who signed the majority report will not agree to hand over the information and destroy the bombs and stocks of nuciear fuel semi-conditionally, because we all fear Soviet Russia. "Russia has enriched herself territorially to an extent beyond parallel in modern times. She has pursued outside her borders a policy of daring and aggressive poiitical warfare. Visitors are fevv inside her borders, newspapers are controlled and even diplomatic personnel are now formally denied the courtesies of travel. Fear of Russia might be unjustified, but in Britain it is real and abidinsr." Mr. McNeil put the following three questions to the Soviet delegate designed to elucidate whether Russia was prepared to accept effective international control: — Firstly, did the Soviet Govemment agree that an adequate control system niust be operating before the second conviction on the prohibition of atomic weapons was put into effect. Secondly, was the Soviet Government prepared to accept the majority report of the Atomic Energy Commission as providing a general j basis for a convention establishing 1 control. Thirdly, was the Soviet delega-; tion prepared to agree that the operations of the international agency should not be subject to the veto.

The Soviet delegate, Mr. Jacob Malik, did not answer Mr. McNeil's questions. He said he would deal in detail with Mr. McNeil's speech "because it was replete with slander and falsehood." He added that the Soviet people threatened no one. The general war psychosis and propaganda unleashed by the Press of many countries was not based on the Soviet threatening anyone. Mr. Eric Louw, for South Africa, said that South Africa had its own supplies of uranium but while his Government supnorted the principle of atomic energy control, it could not commit itself in advance to handing over the ownership of gold bearing ore to an international agency. It could not blindly agree to control measures which had yet to be worked out in detail. Colonel W. R. Hodgson (Australia) said that the Soviet delega te's failure to reply to Mr. McNeil's questions made it seem useless to set up a sub-committee to study the possibilities of a compromise. M. Julius Katzsuchy (Poland) doubted whether America had a monopoly of the atom bomb secret. "The United States claim to be ready to share the secret is hardly j reconcilable with its efforts to pre- ! pare more numerous and more ' effective atomic weapons for an i atomic blitzkrieg." The Poiitical Committee adjourned until tomorrow.