~10h-
‘
only imagine the impression it would make on our urban population if a serious
crisis in Soviet-American relations should be accompanied by the sudden realization that an atomic surprise attack was not beyond the realm of possibility.
It might be thought that some insight into the kind of reaction to expect
could be gained from a study of present day Russian psychology; but aside from
the fact that such a study would be almost impossible under existing conditions,
differences between the two countries would make it of slight significance.
Theo-
_retically, Russia's situation today is more dangerous than ours will be later.
If the United States at this time were contemplating an attack on her, she would
have no way of threatening retaliation.
Yet it would not be surprising to find
that there is little alarm in the Soviet Union.
Surely the Russians feel reason-
ably confident that we will not attack them anc that they have it in their power
to avoid a clash at least until our monoply has bem ended.
Furthermore, with
its strict control over all means of information, the Soviet government can prevent and may actually be preventing the Russian people from realizing the new
threat to their lives and cities.
(Err,
If one wishes to draw conclusions from historical wrecedent, the experience
of Britain in the late thirties should prove far more revealing.
Her situation
then shows striking similarities with what ours will be in the future.
At that
time the British people awoke to the fact that Germany had created an air force
capable of striking at the cities of England.
As a result, intensified fear of
war gave impetus to the desire to appease Hitler.
One can easily see how serious
it would be if the same kind of reaction should set in here and exercise similar
effects on American foreign policy.
The two situations are not entirely alike, since we could be more confident
if not of Russia's peaceful intentions then at least of our ability to deter her.
It made some sense for the Germans to believe that Britain was incapable of re=
taliating effectively in kind; the Russians cannot hope to make their country
immune to atomic counter-attack.
J+ seems probable, nevertheless, that this