BRITAIN’S FATE IN ATOMIC WAR

Press, Volume LXXXIII, Issue 25129, 10 March 1947, Page 7

BRITAIN’S FATE IN ATOMIC WAR

BERTRAND RUSSELL’S WARNING

(Rec. 8 p.m.) LONDON, March 8. Britain would inevitably become a battleground in atom warfare, said Bertrand Russell, summing up the 8.8. C. talks series on atomic energy. He warned that because of congestion a very large proportion of the inhabitants of the British Isles would either perish directly from bombing or indirectly as a result of the consequent famine and disease.

“Either we must within a few year unlearn ancient beliefs and prejudice and consent to an entirely novel fori

of political and military organisation, or we must expect a world-wide disaster surpassing in its horror all that past misfortune enables us to imagine,” he said. “We are extremely optimistic if we estimate the time for completing preventive measures at 20 years.”

War was certain to recur from time to time while no authority such as one central government existed. “Happiness is within our grasp, but only if the powerful nations quickly understand the new needs of our time,” he said.