BOYCOTT BY RUSSIA

Press, Volume XCVII, Issue 28679, 1 September 1958, Page 11

BOYCOTT BY RUSSIA

Demonstration Of A-Bombs

(Rec. 7.30 p.m.) MOSCOW, August 30.

Russia announced today that she would not send observers to a demonstration of atomic weapons under laboratory conditions, planned by the United States Government, the Soviet news agency Tass reported.

Tass said Russia had turned down an invitation to send observers to the demonstration in a Note handed over by the Soviet Ambassador in Washington on Thursday. The Note said the invitation was extended to scientists and press representatives to attend a demonstration, under laboratory conditions, of nuclear weapons with “limited” radioactive fallout.

It said this was “aimed at providing a pretext to justify further atomic and hydrogen weapons tests by the United States.” The Note said it was difficult to claim that continued tests ot American atomic weapons were not a menace to the health of the people, “particularly in view of the fact that the United Nations scientific committee for studying the effects of atomic radiation refers to such a menace in its recently-published report.” “The Soviet Union,” the Note added, “which stands in favour of an agreement on a general and immediate cessation of atomic and hydrogen weapon tests, deemed it impossible to send observers to take part in the demonstration of an atomic weapon planned by the United States Government.”