wy

—LONDON

HE. claim that British and
U.S. scientists have detected

an atomic explosion in the USSR
and ‘the subsequent statement by
Tass News Agency that the
Soviet Union has had atomic
Weapons at its disposal for near-
ly two years, has brought the
Problem of atomic energy and

its control into the news once

again.

“Informed” circles had confi-

ently predicted that the Soviet
Union could not possibly produce ,

an atomic weapon before 1952.

Some of the more illiterate
US. Senators put forward the
iSpy theory’—that the “secrets”
™Must have been handed over to
the Soviet Union by spies and
agents. | ‘

Atomic scientists have pointed
eut again and again that the
chief “secret” about the atomic
bomb is the fact that it works.
The physical principles behind
its construction have been known
to seientists the world over since
1940,

Countless technical problems
have to be overcome before suc~
cessful explosions can be achiev-
ed, but these can really only be
Solved by experience, If all de-
tails of the processes used in
the United States had been avail-
able to Soviet engineers, it would
have helped them to only a kim-
ited extent.

Other pundits, a cut above the
dunces who favor the “spy the-
ery,” put forward the proposition
tat the whole thing must have
heen organized by German scien-

{ists working in the Soviet Union.
However, this theory also will
Rot bear analysis.
_ The present location of most of
the leading German atomic scien-
tists is known. The great major~’
ity are in the West, but-it is
asserted that three really well-
known German physicists are
Working in the USSR.

One is said to be Hertz, a
leading authority on the separa-
tion of isotopes, whose experience
ould undoubtedly be valuable
in some of the processes involv-
‘a. Another named is Dopel, &
Nuclear physicist, and a third is
Steenbeck, who had done a g00d
eal of work on electrial currents
‘through gases. ne nacre

But there aré scores and scores
®f Soviet atomic physicists who

are at least as good, or better, —

han these men. Just to men-

fon a few: Landau, Tomm, Vek-_

Ser, Pomeranchuk, Latyscheff,
Frenkel, Joffe, Kapitza, Flerov,
Skobeltzyn, Alichanov, Fabrikant,
_Scloborodko, Ivanenko, Leipun-
Sky, and so on. | Se oa
_ No, the “German” theory doesn't
Make any better sense than the
Spy” theory. ae
‘ Other “authorities” say, “Ab,

.¥83, an atomic bomb, but they»
_ Couldn't have done it if they had-
St put all their” scientists and

engineers on to just this one
problem and let: everything else

”

go. i \

I wonder if these wiseacres
have ever heard of the first post-
war Five-Year Plan and of the
remarkable successes it has ach-
jeved, And they certainly could-
n’t have bothered to look at any
of the -vast output of Soviet
scientific literature that is pour-
ing out each year in increasing
quantity, and which points to
the widest activity in all fields
of science, including atomic and
nuclear physics. .
@

The plain truth is that Soviet
scientific and industrial’ genius,
and the planned Soviet economic
system,» have scored a remark-
able success by their develop-
ment of atomic energy in so
short a time. %

‘It is interesting to look at:

some of the technical problems
they would have had to solve.

They would have had to step
up greatly the prospecting for
highgrade uranium ores, and to
have expanded greatly facilities
for mining the ores. Methods of

extracting the uranium in the,

form of an oxide of a purity
never dreamed of in pre-war days
would have to be worked out.

_
‘Then the pure metal has to be
produced on @ large scale from
‘the oxide. Before the war, there
were not more than a few ounces
of uranium’ metal all over the
world. For atomic energy pur
poses many hundredweights must
be produced every day. :

Another raw material needed
on a large scale would be graph-
ite of a purity not previously re-
quired for industrial applications.
Or it may have been that,Soviet

~ engineers learned to process beryl-
lium metal as a’ substitute for
graphite, since there are large
deposits of beryllium in the
USSR. :

Then very difficult problems of
heat disposal had to be solved.

To produce plutonium—one of
the active constituents of an
atomic explosion—at the rate of
one pound per day, about half
a million kilowatts of heat had
to be dissipated.

If, as seems likely, the alterna-

tive active material, uranium 235, ~

was also produced, large-scale
and novel technical problems
would have had to be overcome.

Techniques would have to be

developed for producing the high-
est vacuum conditions in a great
number of very large tanks, in-
volving the
pumps very different from any
seen in previous industrial pro-
cesses,

Tremendous magnets would
have to be designed and_ built.
Or if an alternative methods for
separating that uranium 235 were
employed, acres upon acres of a
very fragile and special porous
barrier would have to be con-

large-scale use of.

.

structed using difficult and novel
techniques. Z

There are also the problems
connected with the design and
testing of the bomb itself. No
small-scale experiments are pos-
sible in this dangerous task.

The whole design has to be
calculated in the minutest detail,
and many elaborate physical ex-
periments have to be carried out
to measure to a very great degree

‘of precision the properties of all .

the material involved.
®

The U.S. project took about
three-and-a-half years to produce
the first atomic bomb.

This was a truly remarkable
feat and its success was hailed
as the most spectacular achieve-
ment of organized science.

It was only possible as a re-
sult of the combined’ efforts of
hundreds of thousands of people.
We in Britain, even though hav-
ing the advantage of the services
of a good many scientists who
gained experience in the Anglo-
_U.S. project during the war, are
Astin ‘probably a good way from
having sufficient active material -
to produce an atomic explosive.

Soviet scientists and technicians

had no opportunity to gain ex-
perience on U.S: plants, but in
spite of the war devastation of
their country, unparalleled in his-
tory, succeeded to such an ex-
tent, according to the Tass

dustrial purposes and not to en-
gage in an atomic arms race.
We must see to it that such
a race does not ensue.
The “informed circles” try to

- assure us that U.S. atomic pro-

duction will outstrip that of the
USSR for zine 4 years to come.
But who will believe them now
in view of their signal failure to
appreciate Soviet developments in
this field? :

Whatever might happen in
cther parts of the world, an
atomic race, culminating in an
atomic war, would mean the
condenination of many millions
of our people to a hideous death.

No country is more vulnerable
to attack than ours.

The most’ elementary common
sense demands that a way out be
found to the present deadlock
on atomic energy control.

The present plan which our
own Government supports, with
its elaborate safeguard for U.S.
security but its lack of ‘concern
for the security of other nations,
must be greatly modified. The
proposals. put forward by the
USSR calling for the simultan-
eous outlawing of atomic weapons
and the institutions of an effec-
tive control scheme must be seri-
ously examined. ~ :

There is still time for a com-

promise solution to be worked — 2’
out. the.

But not much time.

statement, that they already had @ Dr. Burhop is a British scien-

an atomic explosive at their dis-
posal by the end of 1947.
Official statements from the
Soviet Union make it clear that
that country wishes to utilize

atomic energy for peaceful in-

}

tists who worked on the U.S. __
wartime atomic energy pre-
jest. He is secretary of Bri-
tain's Atomic Sciences Com-
mittee of the Association ef
Scientific Workers. :

Chala’ Ea the belance: fon beet

F

gime of her prother-in-law: Chiang
Kai-shek. Today she is free, Her

adduess to the Chinese People’s -
‘Political Consultative Council, ex-—

which follow, was a
ighl tion of the
highlight of the formati( )
Chinese People’s Republic to

\which she was elected one of the
vice-chairmen. — i

oe

_cerpts from

land today. The Chinese peo-
ple are moving and they have the
drive of revolution. There is a
pulsation, a building, a New Che

na.

we have arrived at this I
position because of the leadership
provided by the Chinese Commun-

ist patty: Tt is. the ‘only’ party

OR 25 years, Madame Sun Yat--
sen has remained true to the
revolutionary program for Chin-
ese democracy initiated by her
husband. She has lived under vir-
tual house arrest under the re-

HERE ia a momentum in this

of the
tanks.

which has the strength
masses infused into its
Consequently, it is the surest
guarantee that Sun Yat - sen’s
Three Principles—People’s
‘tionalism, People’s Democracy,
People’s Livelihood—will be suc-
-cessfully carnied out.
‘This has been proven in the
countryside where the Commun-
‘ist party has given land to the
tiller. It was on the,backs of our
peasants that the burden of the
first phase o four revolution was
carried. - '

‘The Communist party is now _
in the process of proving their
right of leadership in our cities:

- They have shifted the emphasis of
revolutionary development from
the peasants to the workers, Pro-
duction hag been made the key-
-note, They are in the process of

historic putting solid flesh on the skeleton
. plans which Sun Yat-sen drew -

up for the industrializatien of

Mee nina: ry \

Na-_

“For the first time in Chinese
history there is a wide represen-
tative group of the people form-
ing a real united front to carry
out the common program and to
establish a genuine people’s de-

: mocratic government. i 3
, ee aa :

Ld ‘ ;

The accomplishments of our peo-
ple have changed the perspective
of the entire world. © No longer
can reactionary forces think in
terms other than their own ex-
tinction, in the event they insti-
gate a third world conflict.

There is something | which is_

non-fissionable, something more _

powerful than this monster of im-
perialistic military creation. This
substance, the core of the world
future safety, is the world’s peace
coalition, China’s masses, in their
revolutionary struggle, are welded
to the people’s government and
forces in every part of the globe.

Together they have swung the
balance of history.

This is to say that our task does ©

not end until every hovel has

been rebuilt into a decent house, =
until products .of the earth will |

be within easy purchase, until pro-, _

ducts: from factories will be re- —

turned in equal amount to efforts

exerted, until the family can have
complete medical care from the

cradle to the grave. When these ©

necessities are equally at-hand for —
everyone, vegardless of race, color,
creed and residence in this world,
then we shall know that we have
reached our goal.
This, then, is a call to the col-
ors of the New China, of the new
world, Comrades, let us all proceed
with our tasks here of establish-
ing an independent, democratic,

' strong and prosperous New China,

and together with the peoples of —
the world bring about everlasting
world peace.

PACIFIC TRIBUNE — OCTOBER 28, 1919 — PAGE 5