ls enough attention being given among global leaders – especially the nuclear powers – to the awesome and devastating effects nuclear warfare could have on the world and the human race? invariably .discussions about nuclear weaponry concentrate largely on cost and effectiveness, declared Rep. William Lehman. DFla. in a statement read into The Congressional Record just prior to Congress Independence Day Recess. “Many are convinced general nuclear war would almost certainly be suicide for the United Statesfi Lehman said. Undoubtedly similar concerns exist in other nations with potential involvement. Lehman brought to the attention of congressional colleagues a summary of the “Public Interest Y Report of the Federation of American Scientists” which concluded a nuclear encounter would be a “war without winners.” The FAS report. published in the May issue of Scientific American, projects possible consequences of a “general nuclear war between the U.S. and the Soviet Union,” It provides reason for sober contemplation by all civilization. By 1985, the USSR will have deployed about 6,000 nuclear warheads with explosive yields of from .8 megaton to 20 megatons, the FAS study estimates. The U.S. has more than 2,000 cities whose population is 10,000 or more. “Clearly there are more warheads than large cities,” the report continues. “Indeed, every city of appreciable size easily could be placed inside a circle in which the pressure generated by a thermonuclear explosion would amount ‘to at least five pounds per square inch. “Under that pressure a house would be destroyed, and under twice that pressure a masonry bui ding would collapse,” the FAS added. “Every large city therefore could be leveled. Fires would be started so many that they would have to be left to burn themselves out.” A few other projections gleaned from the scientists’ summary: -Fatalities that would follow a nuclear attack on the U.S. would depend on many things, but estimates by various government agencies indicate “between 70 million and 160 million people would die within 30 days Millions more would die later.” -For the most part the seriously-wounded would die because those few rural hospitals which still would be functioning with doctors not dead or sick from radiation would have literally millions of clients -The lack of clean water and working sewers together with the weakened health of people would allow diseases to spread. -Urban residents who wished to protect themselves against a nuclear explosion would have to hide in elaborate, expensive shelters whose special requirements would include the provision of oxygen. “Building shelters of this kind for the urban population would cost hundreds of billions of dollars. -The FAS summary dismisses the argument that a nuclear war would remain limited to military targets. “For one thing, attacks directed solely against U.S. land-based missiles “would produce between five million and 20 million deaths The likelihood of escalation from such attacks is obvious. -“The attacks on landbased missiles would in themselves decide nothing “since each side would be left with strategic bombers and missile-firing submarines adequate to destroy the other.” While recognizing the iinpnzgative nee for s re to repel a ession and deter attacgfrthe U.S. should not neglect efforts among world leaders to promote resolution of differences throutglh diplomacy and to stress e grave consequences nuclear weaporury could inflict on mankind and the earth itself.