The doctrine of self defence in the last war lead to the mass murder of the inhabitants of two large Japanese cities. It is morally certain that a future world war would involve the murder of the innocent in the centres of civilization.
Cardinal Danielou in asserting that a State has the right to use nuclear weapons in self defence shoud also give publicity to the clear statement
of the Second Vatican Council. "Any act of war. arbitrarily aiming at the destruction of whole cities or at the indiscriminate destruction of large areas, together with their inhabitants, is a crime against God and man himself."
J. J. CeConnor 37 Northiam Woodside Park. London, N.I2.