Himalayan Times (1954)

jfiim/il*nnn c!imc*

April 25, 1954

THE HYDROGEN BOMB TESTS

Excorpt from a March 30 Report to President Eisenhower

by Lewis L. Strauss, Chairman of the U. S. Atom c Energy
Commission.

I have just returned from the Pacific demonstrated and a prototype was tested

providing grounds of the Atomic Energy at Eniwetok in November 1932.

Commission where I witnessed the second Largest Man-Made Explosion

part of a tost series of thermonuclear Thjs teg(. prodllced the large8t man.

weapons I will describe it as well as made losion ever witnesised to that

I am able but perhaps before doing so dftt and from that poiat we moved

it would be appropriate to begin with ^ refmement of desi and 0f,her de.

a short summary of the historical back- j velopment In Auguat of last year the

ground Russians also tested a weapon or device

We detected the test of an atomic 0f a yje)d we]i beyond the range of

weapon, or device by the Russians in regular fission and which derived a part

August of 1949 Realizing that our leader- 0f jts force from the fusion light, ele-

ship was therefore challenged and that our meiits. There is good reason to believe

sols possess'on of'the weapon which had that thev had begun work on this

bsen a major deterrent to aggression h id weapon substantially before we did.

been cancelli d it became clear that our m. __. „ „c „,,.„ l„„ 1____

.. ,t, ., r. , , 1 lie pre-ent series 01 tests has been

superiority won u there alter he on y , ■ , T. . , , , • • ,,

.' .. * * . .... J long in planning It is conducted jointly

relative and depnnd upon a quantitive , °, . 0 ^ n _• • j

, , ., ' . . F 1 1 bv 1 he Atomus Energv Commission and

lead—that is to sav. upon our possession r <• n r' a * 1 r

» . u ' r i • the IJ partment 01 lletence. A task force

01 greater numbers 01 atomic weapons 1 , , , . ,

? ... ,1 , • . • . composed bv thiee armed service! und

-so long as that could be maintained. . '. . c • . rc ,. .,

0 a scientific statt representing the corn-
There was. however, the alternative ra;3;0n was established last year in ac-
of a. qualitative lead if we could make COrdanee with the procedure succesfiilly
a weipon. of greater forces greater than f0||Owed in preceding tests outside o.u'r
th.i fission weapons by a aegree of continental limits. The Navv Air Force,
magnitude comparable to the deference and Army have successively'supplied the
between fission homeless and conventional command for the task forces
b"r"b3V A theora'ici>,l method of aeeom- , Early this January, men and supplies
plishmg this was kno.fn to our scientists. b(lgan ,0 moVR ollt ' to the pr,)vi(|in„

In January 1950,,' the President direc- grounds for this series. The first shot took

ted the Atomic Energy Commission to place on its scheduled date ol March 1,

undertake the necessary steps to see if and tho second on March 26. Both

this weapon, variously called the hydro- were successful No test is made with-

gen bomb; the fusion bomb, and the out a definite purpose and a careful

thermonuclear b->mb, e-.uld in fact be determination that it is directed towards

mule As yen. know, thanks to the an end result of major importance to

ingenuity of those scientists and engineers our military strength and readiness. The

who devoted therm elves to the project, results which the scientists at Lcs Alamos

the feasibility of the fusion reaction was and Livermoie (development centres in

PHILIPS RADIO PLAYERS ARE GUARANTEED TROPIC PROOF