Plutonium bomb shows need
for non-proliferation treaty

MOSCOW — The explosion of
an American plutonium bomb has
breached the guarantees of nuc-
lear nonproliferation,’’ said
Professor Mikhail Milshtein, a
Soviet expert on military-pdlitical
problems here last week.

Milshtein said that American
Scientists have proved that a nuc-
lear bomb can be created without
an installation for the regenera-
tion of nuclear waste and that the
Plutonium bomb has been ob-
tained from the waste of an
atomic power station without the
additional processing of
Plutonium. ‘‘The deadly progres-
Sion of the means of mass strike

ron bomb and now the plutonium
bomb, the latter being the most
accessible.”’

Milshtein, chief of a depart-
ment of the Institute of U.S. and
Canadian Studies attached to the
USSR Academy of Sciences,
stressed that the stocks of nuclear
weaponry in the world are equal
to four million bombs dropped on
Hiroshima.

The two A-bombs, exploded
over Japan 32 years ago, led to the
death of hundreds of thousands of
people. Radiation has affected the
blood of 350,000 innocent people
whose sufferings have lasted for
decades. But the bomb which de-

stroyed Nagasaki was equivalent
to not more than 10 kilograms of
plutonium. Today’s nuclear pro-
gram make it possible to stockpile
more than one million kilograms
of this dangerous material over
the next ten years. ‘

Milshtein believes the pro-
duction of nuclear weapons from
plutonium, which has not been
subject to the complex regenera-
tion process, opens access to
such bombs to all countries having
nuclear reactors. According to
specialists, by 1980 more than 50
countries, including those which
have not signed the 1968 treaty on
the non-proliferation of nuclear
weapons, will possess com-
mercial and experimental nuclear
installations.

If no urgent measures on
strengthening non-proliferation
agreements are taken adding this
new factor, the spread of nuclear
weapons will not only go out of
control but could lead to disaster.

has reached its critical point,”’ he
Pointed out. ‘There are too many
bombs for mankind — the
A-bomb, the H-bomb, the neut-

“No Neutron Bomb” stickers
from Denmark. .

| Pipeline agreement
should be scrapped

TORONTO — “The agreement between Prime Minister
Trudeau and president Carter on an Alaska Highway Route Gas
Pipeline is no cause tor cheers in Canada,” said the Central
Executive Committee of the Communist Party of Canada in a
Sept. 20 press statement. It continues:

The reasons are obvious. :

It will not help Canada resolve its energy needs.

- The billions spent on the pipeline could be spent more effec-
tively to satisfy the social needs of Canadians and go towards
resolving Canada’s energy crisis.

It may get in the way of satisfying the land claims of the
Native People in the Yukon.

The claim is made that the pipeline will create jobs for Cana-
dians. From the standpoint of short term immediate interests,
this may be so, although the number of temporary jobs will be
‘limited and the number of permanent jobs extremely limited to

, Perhaps 300.

While this may appear to be of short term value, from a long
term point of view it spells disaster.

Why? Y : ae

It marks a big step towards a continental energy policy in
which U.S. imperialism exploits Canada’s energy and natural
resources at the expense of the independent development of
Canada. Be

But what Canada needs is not a continental energy policy; it
needs an all-Canadian energy policy under democratic control

“in which all the energy resources of our country are applied to
the development of Canadian industry, to create new jobs,
raise living standards, and not least strengthen the indepen-
dence of Canada. The Trudeau Government and Parliament
have turned their backs on that perspective. Parliament should
be compelled to reverse course. :

The Government pledged that the agreement would come up
for examination and discussion in Parliament. Canadians
Should see to it that this is done.

The NDP members in Parliament should stand by the NDP
Convention decision which opposed a pipeline until the land
Claims of the Native People were satisfied. :

Mr. Clark, leader of the Conservative Party, stated that his
Party would support a pipeline if it serves Canada’s interests
first and U.S. interests second. He should now stand by his word
and reject the agreement.

It is not too late to change the situation, providing the dem-
Ocratic and patriotic forces of this country speak up. It’s no

\ Point saying years from now: ‘“‘we were robbed”.

se ake
lraqui anti-bomb poster.

Milshtein expressed surprise at
statements made in the West con-
cerning the ‘‘local’’ action of tac-
tical nuclear weapons. He be-
lieves- efforts to justify the
plutonium bomb because of its
20-kiloton capacity ~ are
dangerous.

‘*People should know that the
concept of nuclear mini-bombs is
illusory,’ he said. ‘‘It’s naive to
discuss the use of nuclear bombs
separate from modern means of
delivery. Single bomb strikes .are
a bitter illusion. The carpet bomb-
ing of Vietnam gave a glimpse of
new methods of using nuclear
weapons in the future. The aim of
such weaponry is to kill every-
thing living over vast areas.””

To prevent this happening,
Milsheim says it is necessary to
close the breach in non-proli-
feration guarantees made by the
plutonium bomb. Countries de-
livering nuclear’ materials,
equipment and technology must
assume special responsibility
now. International cooperation in
the field of the utilization of nuc-
lear energy for peaceful purposes
has become an urgent problem of
politics and security.

That is why the Soviet Union
has put forward many proposals
aimed at the maximum
strengthening of non-prolifera-
tion. The speediest conclusion of
a treaty on a complete and general
prohibition of nuclear weapon
tests and a world treaty on the
non-use of force in international
relations would reliably bar the
way to nuclear disaster.

PROTEST MURDER

TORONTO — The following
cable was sent Sept. 15 to the
South African Embassy in Ot-
tawa by Canadians Concerned
about Southern Africa on the
death of Steven Biko:

Canadians Concerned about
Southern Africa condemns in
the strongest possible way the
murder of yet another political
prisoner, Steven Biko. The
deaths of the peoples’ leaders
in the prisons of South Africa
has become foo frequent to be
understood as anything other
than a concerted and vicious
policy to repress the majority of
the South African people’s
legitimate desire for dem-
ocratic participation in their
own country.

We wish you to inform your
government of our condem-
nation and urge it to adopt
policies consistent with world
opinion as expressed in United
Nations resolutions and halt
the brutal repression of South

African patriots.

U.S. RETURNS REFUGEES TO HAITIAN POLICE
WASHINGTON — The United States has returned 97 Haitians who
fled their country and ended up in the U.S. base at Guantanamo Bay in
Cuba. The refugees spent 24 days on the open sea on their way to Cuba .
and mistakenly landed at the American base. Despite the clear danger

.s to their lives at the hands of Duvalier’s police on being returned to

Haiti, president Carter blandly commented: ‘‘It is our understanding
that there will not be any reprisals .<.”’

‘ANGEL OF DEATH’ REPORTED LIVING IN PARAGUAY

NEW YORK — Time magazine has reported that nazi criminal Josef
Mengele is active in Paraguay as an advisor to the fascist government in
its campaign to hunt down Ache Indians for slave labor. Mengele,
known as the ‘‘Angel of Death’’ for his criminal acts at Auschwitz
concentration camp has reportedly been living in Paraguay since 1959.
He is accused also of conducting medical experiments on camp in-
mates at Auschwitz and is today performing similar experiments on the
Indian people.

KRUGER UNDER FIRE OVER DEATH OF STEVEN BIKO

JOHANNESBURG — South African Justice Minister Kruger ap-
pear to be backing down from his previous position that Steven Biko’s
death while in police custody was due to the prisoner’s hunger strike.
Extremely heavy pressure from around the world over the murder of
Biko has forced Kruger to admit the death ‘‘does not look like suicide’.

Inside South Africa, white opposition member Helen Suzman has
publicly called for Kruger’s dismissal and demonstrations are being
smashed by police. Prime Minister Vorster is reportedly gravely upset
over the internal unrest and international outcry. ‘‘Kruger’s neck is on
the line over this one,”’ said an inside government source.

CIA CONDUCTED BRAINWASHING TESTS
MADISON, Wisconsin — The University of Wisconsin was the site
of CIA brainwashing experiments in the late 1950’s and early 1960’s
according to recently revealed documents. Operating under a front
group, the CIA funded research into brainwashing techniques to com-
pare them with methods used in psychotherapy.

SOVIETS COMPLETE THIRD NUCLEAR ICEBREAKER

LENINGRAD — The USSR has just completed construction of its
third nuclear powered icebreaker ‘‘Sibir’’ which will enter the Soviet
fleet next February. Its 75,000 horsepower can crush ice up to 15 feet
thick and has a computer programmed autopilot system. It will carry a
crew of 140, each with a private room; a club which seats 105 for
movies and concerts, a sports complex, swimming pool, two saunas
and a 3,000 volume library. The crew includes two doctors, a head
nurse and a dentist. The average age will be between 25 and 30, among
them 30 to 40 will be women. The Sibir is 459 feet long and weighs
22,000 tons.

COLOMBIA GENERAL STRIKE

PS

ee

BOGOTA — Troops in battle dress patrol the streets in an attempt to
intimidate workers out on a 24-hour general strike Sept. 14 called by the
four central Colombian trade unions. The workers are protesting high
living costs and low wages.

PACIFIC TRIBUNE—SEPTEMBER 30, 1977—Page 5