The Evening Star (June 24, 1946)
ON THE RECORD —
Russia’s atom proposal is a step backward
By Dorothy Thompson
Mr. Gromyko’s proposals may not immediately be clear to the public, but they are certainly clear to the Russian government, which does nothing impetuous and has had plenty of time to consider them.
These proposals, as a means of abolishing war, are reactionary in exactly the terms in which the word is continuously used by the Soviets themselves. They are a step backward. Mr. Gromyko, in fact, invites us to return to the condition that brought about the last war: Division of power between several armed camps, with no certain and decisive power anywhere.
Mr. Gromyko wants, first, to outlaw the manufacture of the bomb, forbid the production of atomic energy weapons and destroy all existing stocks within a period of three months from the agreement entering into force.
Then, he proposes that two committees be set up. The first shall be for facilitating the exchange between nations of the contents “of scientific discoveries connected with the splitting of the atom,” the “technology and organization of technological processes for obtaining and using atomic energy,” and “the organization and method of industrial production of atomic energy.” This includes, obviously, the existing formulae and “know-how” of producing atomic weapons.
The second committee – and the order in which Mr. Gromyko catalogues his proposal is notable – is to prepare an international agreement for creating means of outlawing the use of the weapon, and for elaborating a system of sanctions.
But the decisive sanction is first to be “outlawed” and abolished. We are to try and find effective sanctions – and only within the existing rules of unanimity of the Security Council – after abolishing the only decisive means of sanctions that has ever existed, and after distributing atomic knowledge and “know-how” to everybody, depending meanwhile for the safety of the human race on international treaties.
Mr. Gromyko speaks with a straight face of the “great importance” of the fact that “gas and bacteriological war” have already been “outlawed by common accord between peoples.”
Not only these weapons, but scores of others also have been outlawed by “common accord.” Saturation bombing was for instance, outlawed by conventions and treaties, but has no one ever heard of the London blitz, or seen pictures of German cities? Are we, furthermore, to outlaw atomic bombs but retain block-busters?
The only weapons which have remained outlawed, once war has broken out, have been those which have suggested certain kick-backs and have been held to be of no real strategical or tactical importance.
The sanction that can end all war is the destructive power of atomic energy. The effectiveness of the sanction depends upon its being in one single hand, and under one single control to enforce one single law – a world law against international war.
It has been the lack of just such a decisive sanction together with divided power which has made it impossible, hitherto, to create perpetual peace. And should war break out, with whatever limited weapons, and with the “know-how” of atomic bombs distributed between contending countries, the atomic weapon would again be used by the first country that could produce it, and for the purpose which induced its use at Hiroshima – of decisively winning that war.
That is why I say that Mr. Gromyko’s proposals are reactionary – the London economist charitably called them “sentimental” – leading us back to the situation out of which neither the covenant, of the League of Nations, nor solemn international treaties or agreements, nor the outlawry of certain weapons was ever able to create lasting peace.
Peace is the rule of all law, and enforcement of laws rests upon a unique and unchallengeable force – on a monopoly of decisive power. This is the measuring rod of every proposal to create perpetual peace. And God help mankind if it takes another war to bring this truism home to the leaders of whatever nations and peoples may be left upon this reeling planet!