Nexus - 0401 - New Times Magazine-pages

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went into an atomic energy plant, I am able to show the following first Harriman-Beaverbrook mission to Moscow in September records, starting with the year 1942 while I was still at Newark. 1941, Averell Harriman had suggested to Stalin that American These materials, which are necessary for the creation of an atomic aircraft could be delivered to the Soviet Union from Alaska pile, moved to Russia in 1942: through Siberia by American crews. Stalin demurred and said it Graphite: natural, flake, lump or chip, costing American tax- was "too dangerous a route". It would have brought us, of course, payers $812,437. Over thirteen million dollars' worth of alu - behind the Iron Curtain. minum tubes (used in the atomic pile to 'cook' or transmute the During the Molotov visit to the White House, Secretary of State uranium into plutonium), the exact amount being $13,041,152. Cordell Hull handed Harry Hopkins a memorandum with nine We sent 834,989 pounds of cadmium metal for rods to control the items of agenda for the Russians, the first of which was: "The intensity of an atomic pile; the cost was $781,472. The really Establishment of an Airplane Ferrying Service From the United secret material, thorium, finally showed up and started going States to the Soviet Union Through Alaska and Siberia.". When through immediately. The amount during 1942 was 13,440 the President brought this up, Molotov observed that it was under pounds at a cost of $22,848. (On January 30, 1943 we shipped an advisement, but "he did not as yet know what decision had been additional 11,912 pounds of thorium nitrate to Russia from reached". Philadelphia on the SS John C. Fremont. It is significant that Major General John R. Deane has an ironic comment on there were no shipments in 1944 and 1945, due undoubtedly to Russian procrastination in this regard: General Groves' vigilance.) "Before I left for Russia, General Arnold, who could pound the It was about this time that the Russians were very anxious to desk and get things done in the United States, had called me to his secure more Diesel marine engines which cost about $17,500 office, pounded the desk, and told me what he wanted done in the each. They had received around 25 on previous shipments and way of improving air transportation between the United States were moving heaven and earth to get another 25 of the big ones of | and Russia. He informed me that I was to obtain Russian over 200-horsepower variety. Major General John R. Deane, approval for American operation of air transport planes to Chief of our Military Mission in Moscow, had overruled the Moscow on any of the following routes in order of priority: one, Russians' request for any Diesel engines because General the Alaskan-Siberian route; two, via the United Kingdom and MacArthur needed them in the South Pacific. But the Russians Stockholm; or three, from Tehran to Moscow. I saluted, said were undaunted and decided to make an issue of it by going "Yes, sir’, and tried for two years to carry out his instructions." directly to Hopkins who overruled (John R. Deane, The Strange Alliance, everyone in favor of Russia. In the Viking, 1947, p. 78) three-year period, 1942-44, a total of But could anything be more Where the US was not able to force 1,305 of these engines were sent to Russia's hand, Nazi submarines suc- Russia! They cost $30,745,947. foolish than to suppose that the ceeded. Subs out of Norway were The engines they had previously atomic materials we sent were attacking our Lend-Lease convoys on received were reported by General the Murmansk route, apparently not Deane and our military observers to not used for an atomic bomb regarded as "too dangerous a route" for be rusting in open storage. Itis now | which materialized in Russia long American crews. A disastrous limit perfectly obvious that these Diesels 140 was finally reached when, out of one were post-war items, not at all need- before we expected it? convoy of 34 ships, 21 were lost. The ed for Russia's immediate war activ- Douglas A-20 Havocs, which were ity... going to the bottom of the ocean, were It is true that we never knew the exact use to which anything more important to Stalin than human lives. So first we started fly- sent under Russian Lend-Lease was put, and the failure to set up a ing medium bombers from South America to Africa, but by the system of accountability is now seen to have been an appalling time they got across Africa to Tiflis, due to sandstorms the motors mistake. But could anything be more foolish than to suppose that _had to be taken down and they were not much use to the Russians. the atomic materials we sent were not used for an atomic bomb Nor were we able to get enough of them on ships around Africa to which materialized in Russia long before we expected it? The fill Russian requirements for the big offensive building up for the British let us inspect their installations openly, and exchanged battle of Stalingrad. information freely. The Russians did not. Our Government was Finally, Russia sent its OK on the Alaskan-Siberian route. intent on supplying whatever the Russians asked for, as fast as we Americans would fly the planes to Fairbanks, Alaska; Americans could get it to them—and I was one of the expediters. And when would set up all the airport facilities in Alaska; Soviet pilots I say "our Government", I mean of course Harry Hopkins, the would take over on our soil; Soviet pilots only would fly into man in charge of Lend-Lease, and his aides. We in the Army Russia. knew where the orders were coming from, and so did the The chief staging-point in the US was to be Gore Field in Great Russians. The "push-button system" worked splendidly; no one Falls, Montana. A few years before the war General Ralph knew it better than Colonel Kotikov... Royce, who had been experimenting in cold-weather flying with a It had become clear, however, that we were not going to stay at _—- group of training planes called "Snow Birds", had found that Newark much longer. The growing scope of our activities, the Great Falls, with its airport 3,665 feet above sea level, on the top expansion of Lend-Lease, the need for more speedy delivery of of a mesa tableland 300 feet above the city itself, had a remark- aircraft to Russia—all these factors were forcing a decision in the _ able record of more than 300 clear flying days per year, despite its direction of air delivery to supplant ship delivery. It had long very cold dry climate in the winter. been obvious that the best route was from Alaska across to If you look at a projection of the globe centred on the North Siberia. Pole, you will see that Great Falls is almost on a direct line with From the first, the Russians were reluctant to open the Alaskan- Moscow. This was to be the new and secret Pipeline. The Army Siberian route. Even before Pearl Harbor, on the occasion of the called it ALSIB. NEXUS - 25 But could anything be more not used for an atomic bomb before we expected it? DECEMBER 1996 - JANUARY 1997