chapter Three 

 WORLD CONTROL OF ATOMIC ENERGY 



All scientists seem to agree on the necessity for effective world control 

 of atomic energy. There is now much to justify hope and beHef that such 

 control will be attained although the road to it may be long and difficult. 



The declaration issued jointly by President Truman and Prime Minis- 

 ters Attlee and Mackenzie King on November 15 marks the first major 

 step in a constructive program for the solution of the problem of the effec- 

 tive world control of atomic bombs. It is proposed to accomplish this by 

 consolidating and extending the authority of the United Nations Organi- 

 zation so as to establish "a rule of law among nations and to banish the 

 scourge of war from the earth." This goal of world government is to be 

 attained "in separate stages, the successful completion of each one of 

 which will develop the necessary confidence of the world before the next 

 stage is undertaken." 



A Commission is to be set up under the UNO to promote a wide ex- 

 change of scientists and scientific information and to submit recommenda- 

 tions for the control of atomic energy to the extent necessary to ensure its 

 use only for peaceful purposes, for elimination of atomic weapons from 

 national armaments, and for effective safeguards by way of inspection 

 and other means. It is hoped to create "an atmosphere of reciprocal con- 

 fidence in which political agreement and cooperation will flourish." 



The proposed solution of the problem of the atomic bomb involves 

 essentially a voluntary limitation of sovereignty of powerful nations to 

 the degree necessary to form a world government capable of preventing 

 war. The difficulties are great but the penalty for failure is world disaster. 



We have already started an armament race ; we are continuing to make 

 bombs and the materials for them. Churchill has stated, "It is agreed that 

 Britain should make atomic bombs with the least possible delay and keep 

 them in suitable safe storage." Molotov, in his report of November 6, said, 

 "We shall have atomic energy and many other things too." 



It is unfortunate that a declaration like that of November 15 was not 

 made by Britain, Canada, and the United States at the time that the 

 atomic bombs were dropped in August. To have done so might have pre- 

 vented or delayed the starting of the armament race. We may hope, how- 



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