Authentic Science Fiction Monthly, Issue 45 — page 77: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

AUTHENTIC SCIENCE FICTION they blast the area too much . for occupation, and that no nation would want to reduce a city to useless rubble?’ He licked his lips with a nervous - gesture. ““You’re out of date, Jeff. In the old days it was good policy not to damage your enemy too much. You had to think of post war trade, reparations, foreign markets, and a ruined country couldn’t buy goods. But that was the old days. Now we have new weapons and new policies. London can go, Manchester, Liverpool, all the major cities can go. All the enemy would want from us is an advance military base and a self- supporting agricultural economy. They can supply all the manufactured goods, and they will—to the few left who can use them.” “They wouldn’t do that,” said Lorna, desperately. ““Not wipe out LondonI mean. Why, the very thought is ridiculous; they just wouldn’t do it.” “They've done it,” said George, curtly, and in the dim light his face looked yellow and sick. “You heard them; five bombs they dropped, and five bombs would be more than enough.” “Impossible!’’ “Why ? We can assume that they dropped them in a rough circle around the centre, say ten miles out from a common point. The blast area of the bombs would be at least ten miles. The effect would be a ring of destruction around a relatively clear area in the centre of the city, the Abbey, say, and the old city, the docks perhaps, and govern- ment buildings. The rest of London .. .” He shrugged, and moved his hands in a peculiar gesture. “‘Finished!”’ *““Nonsense!”’ Jeff wiped his face and glared at the young man. ““You don’t know what you're talking about. The bomb used on Hiroshima destroyed less than five square miles; the one used on Naga- saki less than two. You are assuming that the ones dropped on London have each destroyed about eight square miles. The idea is absurd!” “Is it? The bombs you’re talking about were the early, uranium fission type, and even then we knew of the comiclbooks.corn