During the Berlin Airlift SecDef was briefed on the aftermath: expunging 70 Sov. sites with 1949’s planned stock of 133 Bombs (would reduce USSR’s ) “industrial capacity by 30-40% (not) bring about capitulation,or destroy the roots of Communism (but) increase the will of the people to fight (,open) the field (to) any weapon of mass destruction (and) maximum retaliatory measures with (CBW” hurting NATO more than dispersed USSR) J.L.Gaddis,We Now Know, Cl’don, 98, P112. US/CAS resisted A-raiding China mid-51 as he had a “shoestring” (447 Bombs!) to deter USSR P262, R.F.Futtrell in H.R.Borowski, Military Planning in 20thC,USAF,86. (I have, but have lost the source) US stockpiles as:1951(?FY) 438/1952 841.

MacArthur was notoriously dismissive both of the Intel business and of the sagacity of Asians. No Counter-Value target was within B-29 range in S.China; he had no means of finding any formed-mass jump-off point, Counter-Force. His notion might have been shock and awe – to make one very big bang somewhere above the Yalu, to send the pyjama brigade scurrying back to their hovels.