The hell bombLaurence, William L. (William Leonard)
Philosophy
The hell bomb
Laurence, William L. (William Leonard)
Hydrogen bomb
Since nearly 2 years of work were required to formulate the UN plan, can
this plan be regarded as adequate for hydrogen weapons so long as the
control measures for the atomic energy industry are not explicitly
elaborated with the same detail as the arrangements evolved for
controlling U-235 and plutonium?
It may also be pointed out that the existing UN plan contains no
provision for physically protecting informants who advise the
international agency of violations. Might potential informants keep
silent for fear of being punished by their national governments? Is this
factor important if the existing UN plan were subjected to the added
strain of controlling hydrogen weapons as well as atomic weapons?
What safeguards would assure that the employees of an international
control agency would be faithful and loyal to the objectives of the
agency and that they would not work purely in the interests of some
national government—perhaps a national government other than that of
their own country?
AUTHOR’S COMMENT
The language makes it obvious that the United Nations plan “foresees and
carefully takes into account the possibility of an H-bomb.” In view of
Russia’s attitude, however, and to leave no room for future quibbling,
the present plan should be explicitly elaborated to include hydrogen
weapons. On the other hand, since Russia will have none of the plan,
such elaboration would at best be purely academic.
As for protecting informants, certainly no plan could contemplate that
citizens would act as spies against their own country, even if they find
that their country is violating an international agreement. The plan is
designed so that such violations could be detected by the official
employees of the international control agency. Obviously, such official
employees stationed in any country should not be nationals of that
country and should be protected by diplomatic immunity. Each country, in
selecting its representatives to the control agency, would naturally
subject them to a most careful screening as to their character and
loyalty, and would use all necessary checks to make certain that they
are faithful and loyal to the objectives of the agency.
4. IS CONTROL OVER FISSIONABLE MATERIALS SUFFICIENT TO PREVENT THE
PRODUCTION OF HYDROGEN BOMBS? IF SO, IS THE EXISTING UN PLAN ADEQUATE TO
THIS TASK?
The technical facts suggest that H-bombs may be regulated in at least
two ways: (1) Control over the fissionable material usable as a
“trigger” and (2) control over deuterium and tritium.
Perhaps control over _all_ fissionable material would give effective
control over hydrogen weapons. However, by way of specific example, the
introduction to volume VI of the Scientific Information Transmitted to
the United Nations Atomic Energy Commission, June 14, 1946-October 14,
1946 (see State Department Publication 2661, pp. 151–152), comments as
follows:
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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