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dated April 4, 1958: Morale essential

Prime Minister Nehru, inaugurating the third Defence Science Conference in New Delhi on April 3, said that the best weapon of national defence was the morale of the people, the soundness of economy and their feeling of contentment, while the best international defence lay in friendship towards other nations. Mr. Nehru pointed out that even nations which had made great advance in general and defence science still suffered from a lurking fear of each other, and unless this was shed there would always be the threat of war. The auditorium of the National Physical Laboratory was packed with the scientists, technologists and Military, Naval and Air Force experts. Mr. Nehru, while deprecating the feeling of helplessness, or sense of fear in individuals, groups or nations, which led to the threat of war, also struck a note of warning against complacency. Mr. Nehru expressed his sincere hope that the world would not have recourse to the weapons of horror produced by science. He added, “I hope our policies will always be to promote friendship, and at the same time, I think it is essential that we should not wait for events but should strengthen ourselves in every way, economically and scientifically, so that we may respect ourselves and others may respect us.”

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