ditorial. ..

Clear Fission Brings Some Rapid, Startling

Changes In The Pacific

lEE recent developments in dicate conditions which must affect future life in the South c. They are: [he determination of Great in to proceed with tests of new •bombs in the Central Pacific, tepid changes in the fighting nent of the Powers, reflected irtling reductions in the num of servicemen, new emphasis ientific and technical training /ar, and the appearance of i missiles on a scale never ■to dreamed of. he huge defence equipment istralia is to be made inter eable with that of United a scale, and with a rapidity t incredible, the character of as changed, and still is chang through the ages, inevitably, irfare has been one of the ajor preoccupations of man- It represents the negation of hing that is decent in human »ut it still is overwhelmingly is. ;e within living memory the s of the world have united to ’ war—once, with the League dons, after World War I; and vith the United Nations, after War 11. In each case, the fas defeated and destroyed— Dictators Hitler and Musso the 1920-39 period; and by d Muscovite conspiracy, under which started the “Cold of 1945-55. now, here we are again, with another cataclysm, and spite of the fact that every md woman in the Western with a memory extending 5 years, loathes war in every and form. with what a difference!

the wars we knew 4-18 and in j, we saw Jss masses i assembled lined in the of conven

il weapons,

She manner iternational ites all h recorded •ry. True, ies and sub ne s some changed laracter of ite in the

1914-18 period; and radio and guided missiles and nuclear fission indicated far-reaching new ideas in 1939-45. But, right up until very recent months, it still was accepted fundamental that “Gnd i* on lunaamentai mar you is on the Slde °f the bI S battalions.

W E are assured > now ’ that that ™ is finished. It is no longer a matter of one mass of fightmen overcoming—by courage and resolution and training and equipment—another mass of fighting me n. It now is so surely a struggle between machines that the Powers are reducing their armies enthroning- their srientists f sc^ nt ists.

The very horrible tendency seen in World War I, and developed in World War 11, under which the wholesale slaughter of masses of civilian non-combatants became accepted war-time tactics, is now to P e the dom . inati Pg factor in a wartime struggle.

The battles will be between selected scientists, who will direct— over thousands of miles—guided missiles carrying nuclear-fission bombs, which will destroy all life within scores (perhaps hundreds) of miles of the spot where they ode. Incalculable millions will horn f bly ~. country which fnboKu 0 ?* effl f cle^ ly wipe out the S vSnv° f ° ther countnes Wlll be the jt is incredibly inconceivably I . y ’. mconceivaoiy if horrible But it is war, as it has been developed since 1945;

and it could be touched off, at any time.

Nobody wants it. Very earnest men and women on each side of the Iron Curtain are trying most desperately to induce both sides to come together and cease war-plan ning and armaments-making. But neither side will agree.

We of the West, knowing the history and character of the Reds, simply dare not accept their word that they will cease to make these weapons, and disarm. They, on their part, will not accept our word.

To meet such circumstances, there should, of course, be established in the world an international police force, strong and resolute enough to compel all the nations to dis arm and to abandon war. The United Nations was created for that purpose. Through Muscovite mach inations, it has become a pathetic farce.

The Muscovite gives lip service to disarmament—but cynically re fuses all guarantees. He wishes us to continue arming ourselves, be cause he believes that, thus, we shall wreck our Western economy, and thus become an easy prey to his Communist system. As Moscow sees it, this is primarily an ideological struggle, between the private enterprise system (Capital ism) of the West, and the enslave ment-of-individuals system (Com munism) of the East. Moscow believes that an ideological victory is worth any sacrifice expressed in human suffering.

To evade the indescribable horrors of atomic warfare, now coming into sight, the West would make any compromise, accept any guarantee, so long as it could be sure that it would not be exposed to Red compromise, accept any guarantee, “double-cross.” But it cannot be sure of that: and so, although

economically harassed and sick at heart, the West remains on guard, and builds up its armaments for its

own protection.

THERE is uneasiness, amounting in places to panic, all around the Central Pacific, because Britain is about to explode at Christmas Island, in the Pacific s empty centre, one of her first and deadliest hydrogen bombs.

In the popular mind, the danger extends from a risk of immediate disaster to a certainty that the re lease of the rays will affect the genes, or reproduction capacity, of future generations.

Even as this is written —on April s—a French scientist is broadcast ing to the world about some mysterious disease that has afflicted the natives of the Marquesan islands (away eastward of Tahiti) and which is attributed to radio active fish from the bombs exploded by United States last year in the Marshall archipelago.

Only a very few scientific people insist that there may be immediate danger in the Christmas Island tests. The majority seem agreed that there is little risk to the pre sent generation. There may be danger for people yet unborn.

But, in to-day’s circumstances, we may forget the unborn generations.

Our chief concern is to save the people of to-day, who are faced directly with the likelihood of atomic war, and annihilation.

If our Western world is to be saved, we must go armed. Our arms must at least be equal to those of the Slav-Mongol combination.

To keep them equal, we must in vent, create and test.

How many places are there in the world where these hellish devices can be tested?

Russia has Central Siberia. United States has certain areas in her southwest, and in the Northern Pacific (Marshall Islands). Britain has Central Australia’s deserts, and the empty section of the South Pacific. It would appear that, for the bigger tests, neither the Central American nor the Central Aus tralian deserts are suitable.

Some of the commentators on the “Christmas Island jitters” sug gest that a ruthless Britain is press ing on blindly and cruelly with the Christmas Island tests.

The facts are that Britain, as much as any country in the world, hates war and all its foul trim mings; and those on the inside say that the decision to test the H-bomb in the Central Pacific was taken most reluctantly. But the bomb had to be tested somewhere; or Britain would be left behind in the struggle for that security that is given by possession of the bomb. The lesser evil was chosen, COLOSSAL sums now are being spent by United States and Britain in the arming of them selves with atomic weapons; and, as a natural result, they now have reached the point of interchange

ability of weapons, of technical and tactical training, service equipment, and bases.

That became clear after the Bermuda Conference, in March.

It also became clear, from the Bermuda communiques and from the forthright statement on defence made by the Australian Prime Minister, on April 4, that United States has accepted responsibility for the protection of Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific Islands.

That was a logical deduction from international developments— especially in Southern Asia —at any time during the past couple of years.

It now is given formal and official recognition.

Is there any significance in the fact that the Australian announce ment is made almost simultaneously with the withdrawal of Britain from the Simonstown base in South Africa, and the granting of in dependence to Malaya and Singa pore? The only ports remaining in or bordering on the Pacific which are 100 per cent. British (apart from those of Australia, New Zea land and Canada) are Hongkong, Northern Borneo and Fiji.

It certainly is a period of rapid and drastic change in the Pacific.