U.S. STEPS UP PRODUCTION OF ATOM BOMBS

Greymouth Evening Star, 26 September 1949, Page 6

U.S. STEPS UP PRODUCTION OF ATOM BOMBS

| NEW YORK, September 24.—The i chairman of the United States Atomic Energy Commission (Mr .David Lilienthal) said today in Washington that Russia’s development of the atomic bomb nteaht that the United States must do everything necessary to establish unquestioned leadership in the atomic armaments race. He said that the commission and Mr Truman believed that the United States must let nothing stand in the way of arming atomically in such a way as to erect a great deterrent to aggression. He added that American atomicproduction had been greatly increased. Wanning Of Defences Now that Russia had an atomic weapon, United States radar and, fighter aeroplane defences must be manned ,24 hours a day, said General George Kenney today. General Kenney, America’s outstanding air strategist, said that the nation’s bombers must be ready to take off on instant notice to destroy enemy capacities to wage atomic warfare. He added that the introduction of the atomic bomb, particularly by two of the most powerful nations in the world, had rendered all other forms of bombingxibsolete. Russia did not have a long-range bomber comparable with the 836, but she did have aeroplanes that could carry atomic bombs over the ocean.

General Omar Bradley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said: “The calmer the American people take this, the better. We have anticipated it, and it calls for no change in our basic plan.”

General Eisenhower commented: “I see no reason why a development anticipated years ago should cause any

revolutionary change in our thinking or actions.” Major-General Leslie Groves, the war-time atomic bomb chief, said that he would not lose any sleep over the announcement. The United States was definitely leading in any atomic race. Main Questions General Groves added: “The main questions are: how good is Russia’s first bomb, how many have they, and can they catch up with the United States?” The Washington correspondent of the United Press says officials of the United States Atomic Energy Commission expressed doubt that the Russian development would mean any great reorganisation of the American programme. They said that the commission already was spending, the great bulk of its energy and money on increasing its stocks of atomic bombs.