toward putting out of action either our weapons or ‘the
who service them,
The fact that Nazi Germany did not succeed in carrying out large-scale sabotage
measures in this country or believed it to be in her interest not to undertake
them does not prove that the Soviet Union might not in case of war or as a pre-
ude to such a war be able and prepared to incite serious disturbances over here,
Commmists and Commmnist sympathizers are passionately opposed to any action
directed against the Soviet Union and seem always ready to assume that the
responsibility for conflict lies on the side opposed to the Russians.
It would
be a sad consequence of the dual possession of atomic power if wnreasoned fear
of such sabotage should come to poison political and social relations in this
country.
One would hope that more confidence would be placed in efforts to
convince all groups of the population that their country was preparing or undertaking defensive action only and that readiness for retaliation in kind was the
only means by which the cities and the densely populated working class communities of this country could hope to escape annihilation,
measures should be able to cope with the rest.
Internal security
Nothing would lead one to believe
that this country could or would compete with the Soviet Union in the field of
fifth column warfare.
:
The Russians can derive further benefit from their form of government and
economic system when it comes to dispersing the targets of atomic attack.
While
there is some doubt whether our government could hope to do anything substantial
about decentralization of our cities or production centers, the Soviet government,
if it decided to do so, might be able to go to almost any length.
How much it
will actually undertake in this respect remains to be seen,
Thus it appears that in a number of respects the Soviet Union will be ina
better position than we.
Some were not mentioned, such as the greater facility
with which a totalitarian regime can, if it wishes, evade international inspection schemes.
None of these advantages, however, provide the Russians with
any substantial guarantee of immmity to atomic attack unless we should fail to