The Wilmington morning star. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1909-1990, 1946-04-01
Atomic Energy Report
By ARTHUR KROCK

BY ARTHUR KROCK
WASHINGTON, - Though transmitted by the
Secretary of State to the special Senate COM
nittee on atomic energy and hailed by the
State Department committee on this problem
as "a foundation on which to build an organi-
cation to hold atomic fission to peaceful uses,
the report of the board of Consultants to the
Department is not official policy. Lest this
vital fact should be overlooked it is stressed
repeatedly in the various documents made
public by Secretary Byrnes.
The distinguished scientists who formed the
Board say in their foreword that their search
was not for final PLAN but for "a place to
begin a foundation on which to build"
description even more tentative than that of
the State Department committee And Secre-
tary Byr:les, in his own foreword, refers to the
report as mot statement OF policy" but simp-
ly starting point for the informed public dis
cussion which is one of the essential factors in
developing sound policy" In final sentence he
carefully repeats the substance of that And
meanwhile there is no proposal that the United
States ''share'' anything or alter any decision
as to the rate of nanufac ture of atomic bombs
In the present state of the problem no wise
document could 60 further and yet remain in
fluentlal in forming ultimate national opinion
and policy, much less global plan. The United
States may adopt the principles of the plan of
the consultants as legislative frame. But such
legislation would be conditional on similar de-
cisions by the people making up the United
Nations. These can come, if they do, only at the
end Of a long road. Therefore the report should
be taken as 1.-THE basis for discussion of "a
place to begin foundation on which to build,''
which is all the consultants claim for it.
That discussion will arise from many pro-
posals in this epochal and distinguished report
But there are certain major questions which
it evokes for the American people in particular.
The text indicates that among them will be the
following:
Are the consultants right in their conclusion
that world security from destructive use Of
atomic energy cannot be obtained merely from
an International inspection system with police
like methodist" Will the inevitable national ri
valries in the development of this force place
pressures on such system so great that 'r1o
degree of ingenuity or technical competence
could possibly hope to cope with them?"
Is it technical certainty that sat no single
point :. in the activity leading from raw ma
terial to weapon can external control
be sufficiently reliable to be an adequate sole
safeguard?" And would such an inspection
agency be slow to note changes In science and
technology which might already have altered
its entire problem?
If the presence in such on inspection system
of many foreigners in many countries all with
special imnlu.lities and privileges of inquiry
would produce serious social frictions, as lob
noxious to Americans as to any Others" why
would not the proposed substitute produce the
same?
Can this substitute-an international authority
with title to all present facilities and stock
piles, power to duplicate them elsewhere to bal
ance the present monopoly of the United
States and absolute control of licensing"
vide unambiguous and reliable danger signals
if nation taxes steps that do or may indicate
the beginning of atomic warfare" as its auth
ors confident it can?
The base on which this confidence rests is the
theory that uranium is the only natural ma
terial that can maintain chain rection,' ..
lis the key to all foreseeable applications of
atomic energy" and that if system thorough
ly controls the production of uranium and tho
rum it will fluuy meet the objective. Is this
the only scientific evidence worthy of gard"
as the consultants say it is?
Since rich sources of uranium and thoriunn
occur in a relatively few places on earth, which
invites rivalry and suspicion on the part of the
have-not nations, can an international orgasli-
cations, with monopoly over ownership and
development of these raw materials, be stated
in way to persuade the have-nots that it will
be wholly international in act and policy?
Is the formula for "deaaturing' the essential
materials Tor atomic weapons one that could be
enforced when our installations and stockpiles
are duplicated elsewhere, even though these
are under world authority and ownership if the
nation Wherin they duplicated resolves
secretly to reverse the formula? And, if it
could not be totally enforced is it true that
signs of violation would be plain to the author
ity, and other nations would have at least a
year to take the necessary steps against the
violater before the latter could have developed
atomic weapons?
There are many other questions raised by
this extraordinary document. But only co'nse-
Tors of despair will hold that humanity can
not solve the problem; therefore the report
should be discussed as the framework of real
solution - New York Times.