"International control is the only line of defense against the destructive power of the Atomic Bomb," declared President Conant Friday, in an address before a sub-committee of the Senate Committees of Commerce and Military Affairs.

Advising against pinning hopes on such "terrible weapons as the atomic bomb," President Conant went on to point out that fear of retaliation would not prevent nations from attacking with the bomb. "Poison gas," he said, "was held in check during World War II, not because it was outlawed, but because it was ineffective." The Atomic Bomb, he remarked, is effective.

Favors International Agreements

"There are three lines of defense against the bomb," he continued. "They are: international agreements, military preparation, and basic research." Expressing his preference for the first, President Conant declared that "as the bomb is the product of a highly social society, it is peculiarly adapted to the destruction of a highly industrial society."

President Conant, who is also Chairman of the National Defense Committee of the Office of Scientific Research and Development, was asked by Senator Fulbright how far ahead of Russia is the United States in research on the bomb. "I'd put the figure at five to fifteen years," he said.