Evening star., 1945-10-28
Mcmahon Plans Call
For First Session Of
Atom Group tuesday
BY GOULD LINCOLN.

1 CHaiTman McManon OF the newly
created Senate Committee on
Atomic Energy, said yesterday he
hoped to call the committee togeth-
er for its first meeting Tuesday.
The committee will have before
it, among other measures, the May
johnson bill to create a commission
and set up an administrator to
deal with the problem of atomic
energy. The House Military AZ
fairs Committee is expected to
conclude hearings on the bill early
this week.
Senator Mcmahon said no de-
cision had been reached on whether
to wait for House action before
taking up the bill.
Revised copies of the House ver-
sion of the legislation showed yes
terday that the House Military
group has sharply relaxed the rigid
controls originally proposed in the
bill which was backed by the War
Department and written by a COM
mittee of scientists and Government
officials.
Broadens Experimental Field.
New committee-approved provi-4
sions OF the bill broadening the
field in which scientists may expert
ment with atom power without
prior Government approval report
edly were written in with the back
| ing Of leaders of scientific research.
One amendment underscores a
declaration of congressional inten-
ton to encourage free research"
so long as it is not ION scale
which would constitute a national
hazard"
It replaces an original declaration
that all research, regardless of its
scope, should be conducted under
commission regulation and super
vision.
Another amendment requires the
commission to follow a policy of
full encouragement of free re-
search" having been substituted for
an original proposal that the COM
mission adopt the policy of mini
mum interference with private
research.
The effect, committee members
and War Department advisers said,
is to give scientists wide latitude
in their research work so long as
their experiments don't reach a !
scale that might endanger the pub
lie safety. Without the new lam
guage, scientists had claimed, they
could not take step without prior |
commission approval.
Penalties Are Reduced.
The scientists scored another
point when they persuaded the COM
mittee to cut down some of the
original penalties for violations of
the proposed law.
Senator Mcmahon said he hoped
his committee will have as its ad-
wiser an outstanding scientist, pre-
pared to give practically his whole
time to the work of the COM
mittee.
"A survey of committee opinion
brought out these points:
The only present defense against
the atomic bomb Is the atomic bomb
itself.
Every effort will be made to pre-
vent a monopoly of the use of
atomic energy for domestic pur-
poses, and to safeguard its use for
the whole American people.
Strong sentiment exists against |
sharing the secret" of the manu-
facture of the atomic bomb with
other nations at this time. How
ever, some members believe this
should not halt efforts to reach
international agreements that these
bombs should not be used in war
fare.
Should Continue Research,
This country should continue
research in the manufacture of
atomic bombs, with the idea that it |
shall keep abreast or ahead of the
world in this field, as a measure of
national defense.
These opinions were expressed by
individual members of the commit
tee, and are not committee views.
The new committee, besides pass
ing on all atomic energy legisla-
ton, should educate the American
people about atomic energy and the
problem 1t presents for this country
and the whole world, Senator Nc
Mahon said.
The most feasible way Of dealing
with the international aspect, in
his opinion, is to act through the
newly created United Nations Or
ganization. But before laying the
matter before that organization, he
believes the great powers should
hold conference to determine
whether they can reach an under
standing.