Russia Tests Bomb And Calls For Weapon Ban

Press, Volume XCV, Issue 28257, 20 April 1957, Page 11

Russia Tests Bomb And Calls For Weapon Ban

(N.Z. Press Association—Copyright) (Rec. 8 p.m.) LONDON, April 18. Russia conducted another nuclear test on Tuesday, Britain’s Ministry of Defence announced, today. The Ministry said that this was the fifth Soviet test reported within the last two weeks. The Soviet Deputy Foreign Minister, Mr Valerin Zorin, called today on world powers to assume a solemn obligation not to use nuclear weapons, including rockets and atomic artillery. He said that the Soviet Union was compelled to carry out its current series of nuclear tests for its own security, but would stop as soon as agreement could be reached with the United States and Britain on a ban.

Mr Zorin was speaking at a London lunch in his honour by the Foreign Press Association. He was expected to leave later for consultations with his Government in Moscow, during the Easter recess of the United Nations FivePower disarmament sub-commit-tee, in which he is Soviet representative.

Asked by a correspondent when the last Soviet test took place, Mr Zorin replied: “I think this has no meaning at all. It has no importance.”

Mr Zorin’s speech followed a call by the Soviet Government last month for an immediate* temporary ban on nuclear tests.

Mr Zorin said: “An extremely important step toward a solution of the atomic problem would He for countries to assume a solemn obligation not to use atomic or hydrogen weapons, including rocket weapons and atomic artillery, wjhich they would consider as prohibited to them.

“This proposal could also be put into effect without any delays, since it requires only agreement by States which possess atomic and hydrogen weapons not to resort to the use of those weapons.

“Since the Soviet Union is ready to undertake such a pledge, it is now a matter for the United States and Britain.” Mr Zorin was asked how Russia reconciled her demand for ending nuclear tests with the recent series of explosions she had carried out. He replied that while there was no agreement, the Soviet Union, for its own security, was “compelled to continue its own tests.” Asked whether he really believed the West intended to attack the Soviet Union, Mr Zorin said that it was a “real fact” that the organisers of N.A.T.O. were carrying out measures directed against Russia.

Military bases were being established around the Soviet Union and itb friends.'. On the other hand, the Soviet Union was not setting up military bases around other countries.

In Washington today, the United States Government also announced the latest Russian explosion.

Russia had exploded one of the biggest nuclear weapons so far in her current series of tests, the Government statement said. The Atomic Energy Commission chairman, Mr Lewis Strauss, said in Washington today that the Soviet Union set off one of the largest atomic explosions of its current test series on Tuesday. He said that the explosion, first reported yesterday from Tokyo, was the fifth since April 3. The test was staged at a site in central Asia used previously for such operations, said Mr Strauss. Earlier Soviet tests this month were on April 3,6, 10, and 12. Tuesday’s explosion was the eleventh in a series of tests which began last August. Just before the announcements, reports reached London from Tokyo of a nation-wide broadcast warning to the Japanese people about the effects of the Russian tests. The broadcast said that the atmosphere over Japan was rapidly becoming contaminated because of recent Soviet nuclear tests.