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° NUCLEAR WEAPONS: NO DEFENSE By WILLIAM DAVIDON, Li a ate ot 4 Theoretical Physicist, Argonne National Lsboratery; Chairman, Chicago Chapter, Federation of American Scientists; Member, Third Pugwash Conference of International Scientists in Vienna. War has always been a chronic disease in human society, but it is no longer a chronic disease. It has suddenly become a very malignant cancer. It wili either wipe us out, or we will take action which wil] enable us to get the power into our hands that will keep it from wiping us out. What now exists in the world is grossly different from anything in past human affairs. Why has this big change suddenly occurred? What are the specific facts which have produced this most unusual change in human affairs? They are different from anything in our per- sonal experience, different from anything in the history of our race. And so, it takes that uniquely human capability of being able to think objectively about events, of being able to respond to a situation distinct from any which we have been prepared for by our biochemistry. One can point out that the biggest bomb exploded during World War Il equaled the approximate size and weight of three automobiles, In contrast to this, the atom bomb which =e astntnald 14 ‘ 4 3 Was exploded 1800 fect above Hiroshima, and which produced some 200,000 casualties, fissioned only about three tablespoons of uranium. This is an abrupt change in human affairs. The amount of material which one can hold in the palm of one’s hand is capable of wiping out e large city, and human beings have never before had energy concentrations of this kind avail- able to them. We will either respond to these facts in a rational fashion, or go out of existence. This bomb which was exploded over Hiroshima produced by fire and heat alone the damage that would be produced by ene thousand tons of high incendiaries carefuliy distributed over the city. This Hiroshima bomb was large in comparison with the past. However, in comparison to today’s hydrogen bomb, the Hirsoshima bomb was small. Let’s briefly describe some of the effects of one large thermonuclear weapon. We can point out that within the space of a few cubic feet more energy is released when a thermonuclear explosion goes off than ts generated by the largest hydroelectric station in a couple of years, Picture for example the northwest part Fn ee ee em NR Sg