ATOMIC ATTACK DEFENCES

Press, Volume XCVI, Issue 28445, 27 November 1957, Page 15

ATOMIC ATTACK DEFENCES

“Gaither Group” Report On U.S.

(N.Z. Press Association —Copyright) (Rec. 9.30 p.m.) NEW YORK. Nov. 26. The White House yesterday belatedly confirmed the existence of, and the membership of, the so-called “Gaither group." appointed earlier this year to study defences against atomic attack, the “New York Times" said today. The newspaper said that the existence of the group was confirmed in response to press inquiries. It said that a highly secret report from the group was already before President Eisenhower, and that the group, as such, had been disbanded. The “New York Times” said that the report had urged the United States Government to build a vast network of fallout shelters for defence in case of an atomic war. The estimated cost of such a programme ranged up to 20.000,000 dollars.

The group concluded that it was | not necessary to build blast-proof; shelters, but that shelters to deal with poisonous, atomic radiation' were necessary. J It recommended that a wholly i new warning system be devised 1 ! that could be sounded after a major attack for the protection of civilian population from atomic' i radiation. Members of Group The “New York Times” said today that the original group was I headed Wy Mr Rowan Gaither. | chairman of the board of the Ford Foundation. The United Press p said that Mr Gaither was pre-/ vented from carrying on by ill- ' ness. |' Other members of the group, ■ were Mr Robert Sprague, a New' England engineer and industrialist. Mr William Foster. Deputy ' (Defence Secretary in the Trumann , Administration, and Lieutenant-p General James Doolittle, chairman of the National Advisory Commit-!, tee for Aeronautics. The United Press said that the : group of experts had submitted the top-secret report to the White? House carrying a new warning:: that the United States must take i giant strides to counter Russia’s; growing missile power. The report was reliably reported to warn of the possibility that Rus-; sian long-range. missiles might be able to offset the United States] Strategic Air Command’s bom-1 bers in another few years. United; Press said. - j 1.C.8.M. Defence The new report came at a time! when the Defence Department was j considering expedited attempts to: devise anti-intercontinental mis- j siles which would knock downi rockets approaching American tar-| gets at 15.000 miles an hour, thej news agency added. Other published reports late] last week said that the top-secret; report made by the group said i that Russia was devoting at least: three times more of its gross nat-{ ional product to military purposes, than the United States. It was said to “imply” that Rus- I sia would have operational inter-1 continental ballistic missiles by] 1960. The report was said to have proposed that the United States boost its military spending by many million of dollars a year to counter the Russian efforts.