U.S. TESTS OF H-BOMBS

Press, Volume XC, Issue 27309, 27 March 1954, Page 7

U.S. TESTS OF H-BOMBS

Reported Concern In Pacific

(N.Z. Press Association— Copyright) {(Rec. 11 p.m) LONDON, March 26 The British, New Zealand and Australian Governments are taking a serious view of any suggestion of further, more powerful test explosions of hydrogen weapons in the Pacific without prior consultation with the Commonwealth countries, says the “Daily Tele graph.”

Sir Wuiston Churchill is giving the matter his closest personal attention, the paper says. “It may be assumed he has already had private exchanges with President Eisenhower on the subject.

Sir Winston Churchill will be asked in the House of Commons next week to consult personally with Mr Eisenhower and Mr Malenkov to secure the postponement of any further hydrogen bomb explosions “in view of the unknown and uncontrollable effects of a hydrogen bomb explosion”

. The diplomatic correspondent of the “Daily Mail” says Sir Winston Chui chill will make an important statement on future hydrogen bomb tests and on possible talks among the Big Three on ways to limit the use of nuclear weapons.

™ Th^3,V estlon has been Put down by Mr Wilham Warbey, a Labour M.P. He will seek “a postponement of further tests pending international discussions on the control and abolition, under proper conditions of supervision, of all weapons of mass destruction.”

Mr Warbey will also ask the President of the Board of Trade (Mr Peter Thorneycroft) whether he will immediately ban all imports of fish or fish products from the Pacific “in view of the danger arising from radioactive particles generated by the hydrogen bomb explosion.” The science writer of the “Daily Telegraph” says consultations will be required if hydrogen weapons are exploded anywhere else in the world. He said when such bombs are exploded near seawater they induce a particularly dangerous form of radioactivity in the sodium and chlorine of the salt present. In a large explosion of the hydrogen type this might present a very considerable hazard, whether or not any ash was formed. The size of any safety zone around the scene of experiments could only be considered purely arbitrary when bombs as powerful as that exploded on March 1 were tested, the writer said.