811.2423/6–746: Telegram
The Ambassador in the Soviet Union (Smith) to the Secretary of State
[Received June 7—9:01 a.m.]
1786. Agitator’s Notebook, guide for mass agitation work of Moscow party organization contains in issue No. 15 released May 31, article entitled: “Atomic Energy and Prospects for Its Use.”
[Page 761]Article minimizes military value of atomic bomb, stating that atomic energy did not play special role in war and that destruction wrought by it in Japan could have been achieved more cheaply by other means. Atomic bombs, it declares, can only be produced in small quantities and are still not applicable against big armies in battle order or against well-dispersed industry. Nor can military effects of bomb replace those which were produced and still are produced by other forms of military techniques.
Nevertheless, concludes article, mastery of atomic energy is matter of exceptional importance. Planned economy USSR has enormous possibilities for successful work in this mastery.
Comment
It is doubtful if above line really represents opinion of Soviet leaders on military potentialities of atomic energy. More likely this” position will be taken, until such time as the USSR is in full possession of atomic weapons, to reassure public that Russia’s mass armies remain invincible.
However, possibility cannot be excluded that Soviet military thought conservatively believes that no single new weapon possessed abroad can offset Soviet military organization and material developed during World War II.