SOVIET ATOMIC STRENGTH

Press, Volume XC, Issue 27533, 15 December 1954, Page 8

SOVIET ATOMIC STRENGTH

U.S. “Substantially Ahead” (N.Z. Press Association—Copyright) WASHINGTON, December 13. Mr Lewis Strauss, chairman of the United States Atomic Energy Commission, said today that it appeared that the Soviet Union was continuing to test improved atomic and hydrogen bombs. He made the statement in an interview in the “U.S. News and World Report,” a weekly news magazine. He said that the United States was substantially ahead of the Soviet Union in the development of atomic weapons. “We are making very rapid and satisfactory progress,” said Mr. Strauss. “In a business wnich has no competition until and unless you go to war, it is a little dangerous to fee! assurance that the progress is satisfactory, but I believe it is.” Mr Strauss said that the nation would have about 9,000,000,000 dollars invested in atomic energy projects when the present programme was completed. “Then we will be running along with an operating expenditure of about 2,000,000,000 dollars a year for. as long as one can foresee,” he said. World More Radioactive He also made these points: The world is getting more radioactive with each atomic test, but not significantly so. The radiation dose from the atomic fall-out is many times less than the dose rate due to cosmic rays, according to experts. Espionage is of “substantial aid” to the Soviet Union in developing atomic weapons, but it might be years, if ever, before the exact extent is known. Mr Strauss said he had never doubted that the Russians had atomic • weapons. He thought that their repeated tests could hardly be accounted for in any other way ithan that they were testing improvements in their ' weapons. 1 Asked if he meant both atom bombs 1 and hydrogen bombs, he replied: ’ “That is my personal belief.” Mr Strauss said it was “fashionable” to object to some details of the j commission’s security programme, but I the majority of scientists accepted it. On other atomic issues, Mr Strauss j said he was sceptical of “bona fide j participation by the Russians” in 5 President Eisenhower’s atoms-for- ; peace proposal to help nations lacking » atomic development. \ s He also said he thought it would t be 10-to 20 years before there would be competitive atomic power.