Evening star., 1945-10-20
Atom Bomb Scientists
Urge House 10 Junk
Present Control Bill
Ey the Associated Press.

| AS lht HseoslsSeA fiEsss
Two groups of scientists who
helped make the atom bomb
urged today that administration
proposals for a commission on
atomic energy be junked.
They suggested that a new bill
be drafted after extended hear
ings and investigation"
AS a stopgap they want legisla-
tion enabling work and security
to be carried on for six months in
the present wartime manner"
The groups are the Atomic Scien-
fists of Chicago and the Association
of Oak Ridge Scientists at Clinton
Laboratories in Tennessee.
In signed statement distributed
on Capitol Hill they said they felt,
"as citizens and as scientists who
have worked to bring to fruition
the promise of atomic energy" that
powers proposed for an atomic
energy commission are far too
sweeping
The bill would give the commits
sion powers to control all domestic
development in the field.
The scientists groups put it this
way:
Complete and arbitrary authority
and power over all aspects of atomic
energy, whose release has ushered
in new era of our civilization, is
placed by the bill in the hands of
nine commissioners who, once ap-
pointed, are. practically speaking,
immune from removal
The proposed commission may
allow full and complete revelation
OF all present and future knowledge
in the field of atomic energy. or may
promulgate security regulations so
stringent as to prevent discussion
and interchange Of information, the
lifeblood of scientific progress. even
between coworkers in the same
laboratory, public or private The
scope of such regulations not limited
to those necessary for military
security"
Many Seek to Testify.
L. B. Borst of the Oak Ridge
group, told reporter it had copies
of kilograms from such persons as
President Robert Hutchins of the
University of Chicago, Astronomer
Harlow Shapley of Harvard and
Physicist Irving Langmuir of Cen
eral Electric Laboratories asking
chance to testify.
However, Chairman May closed
House Military Affairs Committee
hearings on the bill Thursday after
asking-and hearing no reply from
his audience-whether any one else
wanted to be heard.
The committee now will study the
bill in executive session. There are
indications of a strong effort by
some members to limit the COM
missions power.
A leading Catholic educator yes
terday called for Federal aid to
science to Offset the possibility that
misguided scientists, urged on by
an equally misguided Government"
might spread world ruin in the
atomic area.
Speaks at Senate Hearing.
The Rev. ]. Hugh ODonnell, pres
ident of the University of Notre
Dame, took the stand in testimony
before a Senate Military
Affairs subcommittee conducting
hearings on a proposed national
science foundation.
He said that even though peace
has now come, 1--WE must prepare for
every eventuality." He saw this
lineup of oposing PHILOSOPHERS:
On one side, the American and
Christian tradition of "the dignity
of the human person"
On the other side, 'the philosophy
of materialism-or Communism
Fascism, athaism or secularism
call it what you will-that degrades
man into an irresponsible automa-
ton"
Reluctantly Convinced by War.
! Father ODonnell said he had
come around reluctantly to the idea
of educational institutions taking
Government money for research. He
explained:
II support the measure for one
reason and one reason only: In view
Of what Is happening In the world,
I believe 1t is necessary for the ma
| tional defense. -
"As we know from A months OF
. bitter and bloody global warfare,
there is no way of preventing mis-
guided scientists, urged on by an
equally misguided Government, from
using their chronological skills to
bring death and destruction to mil