‘\ -105- \ country, So averse to war anyway, will show greater reluctance to take up arms against the Russians once they possess the means of destroying our cities, This is particularly true since our disputes with the Soviet Union are likely to center around Russian claims or moves concerning regions far removed from the United States. Like Britain in 1938, this country might become hesitant to risk for the settlement of troubles in "faraway places" not merely war but the very existence of its urban populations, If American security and world peace should at amy time require that the spread of Russian influence or control be checked in such regions, excessive American fear of the atom bomb might seriously interfere with our peace strategy. Those who would spread panic at the mere thought of atomic warfare must realize that they might undermine the influence for peace and world order which this country now possesses, The mere suspicion on the part of the nations of Europe and Asia that the United States had become intimidated by Russian atomic power and could therefore no longer be counted upon for protection might lead then to bow more willinglytoSéviet demands, . Nobody would want this country to assume unnecessary riskdof,depbmuction; but it would not serve peace if one of the major powers of the world were paralyzed by fear and thus diverted from the course which it would otherwise have pursued. If it were asked why Russian foreign policy is not being equally weakened today when we alone have atomic bombs, the answer is that she has several advantages which we do not possess. We have already mentioned the fact that the Russian people may be far less aware of the danger. But even if theywere, the Soviet system of government allows far less scope for the pressure of public opinion with the result that the apprehensions of the Russian people may exercise no marked influence on Soviet foreign policy, Furthermore, the international Situation of the two countries differs in such a way that the question of whether to appease the United States may never arise in Moscow. The Soviet Union, as recent events have demonstrated, is far less satisfied with the existing status quo than is the United States, If unilateral action to change the status quo