more than a stunt. It was a rough indication of ‘tthe”extreme effective bombing range with atomic bombs of types of aircraft already in use? Under the conditions just described, any world power is able from bases within its own territories to destroy all the cities of any other world power, It is not necessary, despite the assertions to the contrary of various naval and political leaders including President Truman, to seize advanced bases close to enemy territory as a prerequisite to effective use of the bomb, 6 ‘ The lessons of é the recent Pacific war in that respect are not merely irrelevant but misleading, sa ny! and the effort to inflate their significance for the future is only one example. of the pre-atomic thinking prevalent today even among people who understand ray the power of the bomb. To recognize that power is one thing; to draw out its v Sg full strategic implications is quite another. - The facts just presented do not mean that distance loses all its importance x 3 as a barrier to conflict between the major power centers of the world, It would still loom large in any plans to consolidate an atomic bomb attack by rapid invasion and occupation, bomb attack itself, It would no doubt also influence the success of the j 2° Rockets are likely to remain of lesser range than aircraft and less accurate near the limits of their range, and the weather hazards which “3 3 still affect aircraft multiply with distance, be valueless. Advanced bases will certainly nots 4 But it is nevertheless a fact that under existing technology the ~ distance separating, for example, the Soviet Union from the United States offers no direct.immimnity to either with respect to atomic bomb attack, though it does 15. See New York Times, November 21, 1945, p. 1. It should be noticed that the plane had left about 300 gallons, or more than one ton, of gasoline upon landing in Washington. It was of course stripped of all combat equipment (e.g., armor, guns, ammunition, gun-directors, and bomb—sights) in order to allow for a greater gasoline load, Planes bent on a bombing mission would probably have to carry some of this equipment, even if their own survival was not an issue, in order to give greater assurance of their reaching the target. 16, 6 ; , ; See President Truman's speech before Congress on the subject of universal military training, reported in the New York Times, October 2h, 1945, p. 3. 4