The Southland Times MONDAY, OCTOBER 8, 1945. Permanent War Research

Southland Times, Issue 25797, 8 October 1945, Page 4

The Southland Times MONDAY, OCTOBER 8, 1945. Permanent War Research

DR V. BUSH, the director of the Office of Scientific Research and Development of the United States, proposed some time ago that a department of war research should be made permanent in that country and that it should be generously supported during the years of peace. At the time, Dr Bush was speaking in terms of military defence. He pointed out to a recent session of a committee on postwar planning that the present trend is towards weapons which can be used to achieve overwhelming surprise in unpredictable attacks. He mentioned robot bombs, rocket weapons, jet-propelled aircraft, electronic devices and now, of course, the atomic bomb. The experience of this war has shown clearly that if any future act of aggression is allowed to develop, it will follow the now familiar pattern of attempting to strike down a nation without warning with weapons so powerful that they will create a military paralysis in the nation attacked. As there is yet no immediate and visible promise of a settled world resting on enduring foundations, this issue cannot be dismissed. Until the freedom-loving nations can see a clear outline of a world family of nations progressively developing under the rule of international law and growing together in a basic goodwill, these nations must maintain a defensive force, armed with the most effective weapons that scientific research can provide. British research saved the world in .1940 with the master key of the Spitfire and radio-location. These inventions, together with the discovery of penicillin and the basic work done on atomic energy, give Great Britain the credit of producing the supreme scientific developments of the war period. Atomic energy was finally harnessed into a war weapon in the United States, which now possesses the immense foundation of plant, experts and experience which produced the atomic bomb. Last week President Truman indicated his Government’s policy towards this research foundation. “Now that the enemy has surrendered,” he said, “we should take immediate action to provide for the future use of this huge investment in brains and plant. The persons on whom depend the continued successful operation of the plants and the further development. of atomic knowledge are getting ready to return to their normal pursuits, and prompt action to establish a national policy will go a long way towards keeping the strong organization intact.”