\ ~2- _ pr f- CONFIDENTIAL * ~~ werk WeebedER Ble hed? England. British reaction was sober -— not hysterical. In the face of the realities outlined in the announcement the press received the British Govermment's decision to produce the hydrogen bemb (announced 17 February) as a grim but necessary deterrent to war. The Associated Press reported from Britain that "the jittery tone sounded in the British press following the Bikini tests eleven months ag» was almost completely absent", Australia. The Australian press took a sober .~. ratinnal view of the announcement. Of three editorial comments reported, one points out that the H-Bomb is a weapon of race suicide, while another lauds Churchill's 15 February announcement that Britain will build atomic power stations as a note of sanity in an insane world of atomic bombs. One paper speculates that the AEC announcement was a propaganda device to call the bluff of the Soviets, because they have been boasting of successes in the field of nuclear fission. stockholm. As of February 17, no Swedish comments or even news coverage of .EC repnrt, despite wide USIS dissemination February 16 of text and Swedish interest in general subject. Cairo. As of February 18, limited ecoverage and no editorial comment in Egyptian press. Buenos Airese No government reaction and no Communist exploitation. As of February 18, no reaction press or otherwise noted. CONFIDENTIAL