THE ATOMIC BOMB

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXXIII, Issue 21946, 14 February 1946, Page 2

THE ATOMIC BOMB

USE HELD JUSTIFIED MALTA GOVERNOR'S VIEW The paralysing devastation caused by the dropping of the atomic bomb on japan brought in its wake more than victory; with it came a realisation that man could trespass too far and that the unchecked use of his inventive genius could cause unbelievable horror, and with it also there was a strong feeling in certain quarters that in no circumstances was the employment of such a weapon justifiable. Lieutenant-General Sir William Dobbie, Governor and Commander-in-Chief of the seared and battered island of Malta for two years, has intimate knowledge of the savagery of aerial warfare, but peaking both as « soldier and a man of deep religious convictions, he believes that the Allies were right in using the bomb. Interviewed on his arrival at Wellington in the Thcmistocles. General Dobbie said that the Allies only just won the race for the secret of the atomic bomb. Had Germany been the first to perfect the weapon there would have been no compunction about using it, and if the Allies had not dropped it the war would probably have been lengthened a good deal and somebody else would have found it. ‘l’m glad they did not drop an atomic bomb on Malta—that would have been the end of it." he added. "I find it awfully' hard to understand how the beastly thing works, but it seems to work ali right." He agreed that the potentialities of atomic energy were so great that there should ba international control, but he is not confident that that is the completely satisfactory solution. "Whether it is practical or not is another thing," he said. “We speak very glibly of international control, but it is not always easy to implement.”