a nay na

Clergymen denounce
use of nuclear bombs

LONDON — Nucléar wea-
pons are a “blasphemous
waste . of God - given  re-
sources,” say 136 Anglican
clergymen in a letter to the
heads of the British, U.S. and
Soviet delegations at the Gen-
eva conference on ending nu-
clear tests.

The letter, signed by canons,
deans, vicars, rectors, priests
and. curates from all over
England. recalls that the Lam-
beth Conference of Anglican
Bishops last year urged in-
ternational agreement -for the

abolition of nuclear weapons.
The bishops were “wholly
right” says the letter, because
nuclear weapons are utterly in-
discriminate in their effect and
are weapons of mass. anni-
hilation.

The signatories of the letter
see the Geneva conference as
“a contribution to world san-
ity and security which can-
not be permitted to fail.”

They urge that under no
circumstances should the con-
ference be suspended until it
has achieved complete suc-
cess.

World Council appeals
for end of cold war

STOCKHOLM—The World Council of Peace ended its
tenth anniversary meeting here last Wednesday with the adop-
tion of a new Stockholm peace appeal, a éall for all-out activity

to end the cold war. “

“After years of cold war, the representatives of the Great
Powers, who can either make war or ensure peace, must meet,”

says the new appeal.

“The people of every country
want this meeting, to prevent
an armed conflict arising from
the German situation to rid
the peoples of the nightmare
of nuclear war, and to pave
the way to disarmament and
peaceful cooperation.

“The World Council, after 10
years of activity for peace,
calls on all peace supporters
to demand: the end for ever
of nuclear tests and the aboli-
tion of nuclear weapons; a dis-
engagement of armed forces
wherever peace is threatened,
first and foremost in the centre
of Europe.

“You who are active in the
struggle for peace, your cam-

paigns wil] awaken the men
and women. who think as you
do but have not yet entered
the struggle to express their
will. |

“Tt is their activity and your
own efforts which will force
the statesmen to meet and not
to separate until they have
taken the first step toward
peace. Such steps are essential
to end the cold war and help
both individuals and peoples
to obtain their right to free-
dom and to life.”

The first Stockholm Peace
Appeal, issued in 1950, was for
a ban on all atomic weapons,
and was signed by over 500
million people throughout the
world.

Only madmen want war’
Khrushchev tells newsmen

MOSCOW — The popfey of
the Western powers who are
striving to keep Western Ger-
many in NATO is very dan-
gerous for the German
people, Soviet leader Nikita

._ Khrushchev told a group of

editors of Social - Democratic
newspapers of the Federal
Republic of Germany last
week.

“Any military gamble of
the imperialists is doomed to
failure,” said Khrushchev,
hitting at “‘elements in West-
ern Germany wo! tavar a
revanchist war.’

When asked by Riadien
how many nuclear bombs
with a power of three to five
million tons would be needed
to put Western Germany out

of action, one of the editors
answered, “Eight H-bombs.”

“And do you-think we have
eight H-bombs?” Khrushchev
persisted.

“Of course,” said H. Biraune,
“many more than that.”

Khrushchev:
many are needed to put out
of action the other West Euro-
pean countries? Evidently no
more than that ... To look
now. for ‘a settlement of dis-
putes through unleashing war
is a policy of madmen. And
the place for such madmen is
a lunatic asylum.”

He emphasized that the
policy of the Soviet Union is
a policy of peaceful coexis-
tence, a policy of ensuring
peace and friendship among
all peoples. ~

“And how,

MPs favor ban on nuclear tests
but parliament lags behind people

TORONTO—AIl members of parliament interviewed by the delegation of the Toronto
Association for Peace, which visited Ottawa May 4, “listened courteously and attentively . «-
and declared that they shared their desire fo r a cessation of the tests, as well as for extension
of cultural relations,’ according to the official report issued by the association.

To the 60 men and women
who made up the delegation,
“it was apparent that the de-
sire for a cessation of atomic
tests and for a general re-
laxation of international ten-
sions is shared by every one
on all levels. But it seems
evident that the people are
ahead of parliament and that
parliament in turn is ahead
of the government. If the
people will make their opin-
ions known to their electect
representatives, there is little
doubt that they can be ef-
fective in encouraging their
government to play the im-
portant role of peace which
Canada is able to perform.”

The delegation in its brief
had strongly endorsed the
stand for negotiations taken
by Defense Minister Pearkes
at the last NATO council
meeting and the statement of
the late minister of external
affairs, Sydney Smith, that
the Middle Powers had a
“chance to play a peacemak-
ing role which is denied by
the circumstances to the
Great Powers.”

The association’s brief had
strongly urged the Canadian
government to assume this
‘role. :

The report continues:

While the Prime Minister
was detained by other busi-

ness, members of the delega-
tion were received by De-
fense Minister Pearkes and
Deputy Minister of Health
Dr. Cameron, as well as by
the speaker of the House, Ro-
land Michener, the leader of
the CCF Hazen Argue, and
six other MPs.

Pearkes and Dr. Cameron
tended to play down the dan-
ger from fall-out and seemed
disinclined to take a definite
stand leaving it to the Prime
Minister to take the initiative.

Most of the MPs appeared
willing to go further. Speaker
Michener received with great
interest a suggestion for a
resolution by parliament,
urging on the nations of the
world an immediate end of
the manufacture of nuclear
bombs,

Miss Margaret Aitken (Con-
servative, York Humber), re
ferring to her _ conviction,

~ based on a recent trip to the

Soviet Union, that the people
there do not want war, ex-
‘pressed her agreement with
the principles laid down in
the brief, wished the delega-
tion every success and said
she would convey the
thoughts of the delegation to
other members,

Dr. Kucherepa emphasized
that as a physician he was
keenly aware of, the definite

danger of bone cancer from
strontium-90. While’ Conserva-
tive MPs McGee and White
both felt that the danger
from strontium-90 was over-
rated and both emphasized
the need for military prepat-
edness they advocated reduc-
tion of defense expenditures
and use of the money thus
save for economic develop-
ment in Canada and in um
der developed countries.
White (Conservative, Middle-
sex East), also expressed
himself in favor of encourag-
ing friendly relations with
Russia and other countries,
stating that those people did
not want war any more than
We did.

The three members of the
CCF,, Argue. Howard and
Winch, pointing to their rec-
ord of speaking out both in
the House and in the country
for cessation of bomb tests,
for an end to the cold war
and for a policy of friendly
relations with all countries,
expressed their full sympathy
with the stand of the delega-
tion.

The delegation evoked
many expressions of interest
and sympathy among the
people who watched them
parade with placards on Par-
liament Hill and in the sur-
rounding streets of Ottawa.

May 22, 1959 — PACIFIC TRIBUNE--PAGE 2