U.S., BRITISH ALLIANCE

Press, Volume XCI, Issue 27612, 19 March 1955, Page 7

U.S., BRITISH ALLIANCE

Change Seen To “Coalition” (N.Z. Press Association—Copyright) ((Rec. 10 p.m.) NEW YORK, March 17. Sir Winston Churchill’s recent announcement that Britain would make the hydrogen bomb had made a profound change in the Grand Alliance, which had now become something very close to a two-party coalition, the “Reporter” magazine said today. The magazine coupled a leading article entitled “Britain ‘Goes It Alone’ ” with an article on the implications of the British decision to make the hydrogen bomb by Alastair Hetherington, foreign editor of the “Manchester Guardian.” In the leading article the magazine said that when it came to discussions about the use, or even the knowledge, of absolute weapons, the United States had been paralysed by a sickly combination of conceit, mistrust and fear. Now that Britain had “gone it alone in the common interest,” the article added, “it would be too bad if we were to remain smugly satisfied with this (United States) advantage, leaving to the British superiority in international prestige, diplomatic skill, and brains.” Hetherington said in his article that the British decision to make the hydrogen bomb amounted • “to something like a declaration of independence from the. United States.” “The Government thus hopes to make its voice more audible both in Washington and in Moscow, and hopes to restore Britain to the status of a Great Power, less dependent on American protection,” he saidHetherington said the decision would never have been made, if co-operation on atomic and thermonuclear weapons had been closer in the past. As it was now, both Sir Winston Churchill and the Cabinet were convinced that thermonuclear weapons were so important as a deterrent that Britain could not work in closer partnership with the United States. The duplication of effort seemed senseless. Each country was carrying out a vast programme of researchi development, and production in isolation from the other. American laboratories were closed to British scientists, and they could get no nearer the testing grounds than Las Vegas. As a result, British laboratories and firing grounds like Woomera were closed to Americans. One could not tell, Hetherington said, where British research was ahead of American, or vice versa. Secrecy prevented governments as well as the public from knowing. One thing was clear, and that was that a heavy price would have to be paid for making Britain’s voice heard more clearly in Washington and Moscow. But if the price must be paid, it would be —for Sir Winston Churchill was not alone in wanting to restore Britain’s status as a great power.