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Show Wednesday, November at the very least, By Tom Tiede - WASHINGTON (NEA) -In the heat of the Arab-Israe- li Yom Kippur war a French general, Georges Buis, casually told a reporter that "certainly" threat. The opinion went unnoticed in most U.S. possess a nuclear newspapers, as speculation on the "Israeli bomb" usually does. The prospect has al-- , ways been too unpleasant for widespread popular con- templation. Now, with a tenuous truce in partial efftct, and thoughts somewhat less inflamed, it may he well to consider the general's assertion, if only as an added, ultimate, element in the argument for a more stable Middle East. Buis' belief, of course, is not sacred. "He is director of the French Institute of National Defense Studies, and it was his nation which assisted Israel in the construction of at least one nuclear reactor, but the existence of an Israeli bomb has not been confirmed. Many experts say the bomb does not exist. Thearguments are that ther is no record of an Israeli test, that past Israeli leaders (notably have long David insisted their nation would not be the first to introduce such weapons in the Mediterranean, that, actually, U.S. (and world Jewry) opinion prohibits Israel from having so much gunpowder so near an open flame. Others, however, firmly be Ben-Gurio- lieve the bomb dwells in Tel Aviv. The Arabs, for instance. Arguments in Egypt are that the Israelis obviously have the expertise, the technology and, with the excep-tip- n Israel does little to courage speculation. disA popular press which warned Egypt against new wars lest of uranium, the Arabs receive a nuclear blast resources. Arab sources point on the Aswan Dam. Says out that money is no limiting Quester, who has closely factor; former U.N. Secretary studied the Israeli bomb possibility: "The question is General once estimated the production of a one of semantics. The whole small yield atomic bomb at thing is fraught with amn said he . "That's biguities. costing $19 million first to inwouldn't the be about one night's intake," says an Arab diplomat, "for troduce nuclear weapons in the Mediterranean but that the United Jewish Appeal." was long after the U.S. 6th And certainly, adds Cornell fleet had already done so. professor George Quester, They play a tricky game. And Ben-Gurio- lip liii if they don't have the bomb now they can quickly put one together." No doubt. Alan Solomonow of the Committee for New Alternatives in the Middle East says the Israelis now have three working nuclear reactors. One, the largest, is the French-bui- lt original at Dimona. And there is possibly one in the Sinai. "Remember the shooting down of the Arab airliner last winter?" asks Solomonow. "We think the reason it was done so hastily is that the plane veered too near ihe Sinai reactor and the Israelis panicked." The Dimona reactor alone, say nuclear experts in the United States, is capable of producing ai least one bomb a year. Conventional wisdom has it that Israel may have an arsenal cf about a dozen warheads. Many of its fighter craft could serve as delivery vehicles. If not, the Jericho is missile sophisticated enough to put a nuclear charge well into any neighboring territory. But would Israel do it? Dr. Herbert Scoville, former CIA official, now a number of the Federation of American Scientists, believes it would be most unwise. "It would be terribly stupid of them to use it. They would only be asking for a retaliation. They would be inviting the Russians to give similar weapons to the Arabs. No, it would be stupid. (ramp-launche- retired Israeli general last year wrote an article for the - But having said this I should add that the antagonists there are not always so wise." Scoville, as others, believes the bomb would not be used while any alternative existed. But in a crunch, says an Arab observer, "if Israel's existence was threatened, naturally they would shoot whatever they had. I doubt they have built the atomic bomb, if they have built it, for purely scientific pursuit." If Israel did use the weapon, experts say. the Aswan would be an obvious priority: busting the dam would flood at least 200 villages and ruin much of Egypt's power supply. Or, the Israelis might select a warning target, such as President Truman was advised to do in the wa- - with Japan; "A mushroom over the Sinai," says a Jewish physicist hero, "would go a long way to stopping any Arab march into Israel." It would also, most agree, go an equally long way toward creating World War 111. Tr.us the revival of interest in the question of the Israeli bomb. "It's not just the 'Israeli bomb,'" says a Washington member of SANE, "it's also the 'Egyptian bomb." Egypt is right now planreactor ning a which could turn out 30 bombs a year. Naturally, the Arabs are not standing still in this escalation. At the very least they have poison gas, which was used in the Yemen conflict, which is at least as horrible and as unthinkable a modern weapon as the bomb itself." This is why, adds Alan Solomonow of the Middle e East study group, Mediterranean in the peace must be achieved. Continuation of a s;tuation where war breaks out every six to ten years is impossible. "Each time," says Solomonow, "the Arabs get a little stronger and more anxious. So far they haven't tried to enter Israel. But what if they do? What if they do?" fcli Mi Jl$ Sjjp iWml PR. ft. i St t t.l H The military command said the approximate 1,800 soldiers still were hospitalized. There was no indication of how many Ad Executive Wants That Or Nothing! f Y LAS VEGAS, Nev. (UPI) -Sadvertising executive Richard Hunsley can't get what JUST THE THING for he wants on his personalized those who like to take their license plate, he would rather pets on leisurely strolls, have nothing at all. "Tom" the turtle is definitely not going to tire out Hunsley asked for a zero but Jill Barry of was told that the governor had Si. Petersburg, Fla. "number one" on his vehicle ana no plctes could be issued with a smaller digit. Texas farmers planted 20.000 Sc Hunsley asked the department to issue him a blank license acres of hairy vetch in 1972 and plate with only the registration harvested three million pounds sticker on it. He is stiii awaiting a of seed. Vetch is used for fodder. reply on that request. ince soldiers had been wounded and released or had been wounded and had received immediate treatment on the battlefield without hospitalization. The command announced Oct. nine days after the 14, beginning soldiers had been killed and 2,000 wounded and hospitalized. of the war, that Comparing the 3.1 million population of Israel with the 210 million of the United States, the number of Israeli dead would be as if about 130,000 Americans had been killed. Almost 46,000 American soldiers died in Vietnam. feita a km 18 CflWA6 7 AffilAGYBTf BSSSftSSi. and bulky acrylic mittens and 9loves in sizes and styles for the entire gloves bre's a BBS7 mi wsvssi 0o The sources of most of the energy used in America today are oil, coal and natural gas. They are used di- ir rectly to produce heat in a wide variety of ways -and are very efficient. When fossil fuels are used in the generation of electricity that is converted to heat for homes, nearly two-thirof the available energy is save : L MEN'S SUEDE GLOVES Genuine leather suede gloves with Value! heavy pile lining. 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