Evening star., 1946-09-28
Control Of Atom
is Possible Now,
u. n. Group Says
Scientists Refuse
To Discuss Political
Aspects Of Program
BY the Associoied Press

Z8.-SclentlStS OF the United Ma
tions Atomic Energy Commission
today declared that effective
control of atomic energy, which
the world seeks to harness for
peace, is possible on the basis of
available scientific facts.
The finding was made public when
the United Nations released a o.
page report adopted unanimously
Thursday by the scientists who
make up the commissions scientific
and technical committee. The re-
port will be submitted to the COM
missions committee No 2 (politicaD
at meeting here Wednesday.
With regard to the question posed
by committee 2, whether effective
control of atomic energy is possible
we do not find any basis in the
available scientific facts for sup
posing that effective control is not,
technologically feasible" the report
said.
No Plan is Recommended.
Having thus discharged the task
assigned by the political group, the
scientists added
whether or not it is political
feasible is not discussed or implied
in this report, nor is there any
recommendation of the particular
system or systems by which effec-
tive control can be achieved"
The ran0rf tho fret
tional finding on atomic energy to
be approved unanimously and was
hailed by Bernard M. Baruch,
United States member of the COM
mission, as forward motion" in
the commissions deliberations.
The scientists, by failing to make
recommendations, however, did little
to resolve the sharp differences be-
tween the United States and Rus
sian plans for controlling atomic
energy. At present, the United
states and Russia still are far apart
on the problem of the veto right as
applied to atomic control, on meth
ods of inspection and control and
on just when existing stocks Of
atomic bombs will be destroyed and
their manufacture stopped
Outline of Work Expected.
Those, and others of serious ma
ture, are questions which the Atomic
Energy Commission itself must
handle.
At the Wednesday meeting, Com
mittee No. 2, which is in effect a
committee of the whole of the COM
mission, likely will outline its future
work. 1t has been stalled while the
scientists considered their assign
ment during 18 meetings in August
and while waiting for Russia to
give an answer on the report.
In the report, the Scientific and
Technical Committee said:
THE substances uranium and
thorium play unique role in the
domain of atomic energy, since as
far as we know these are the only
raw materials from which the nu-
clear fuel required for the Develop
ment of atomic energy can be OBJ
tanned.
Mining Safeguards Possible.
There is an intimate relation be-
tween the activities required for
peaceful purposes and those leading
to the production of atomic weap-
ons; most of the stages which are
needed for the former are also
needed for the latter.
With respect to mining opera
tions, which are of special signifi-
canoe as the first step in these activi-
ties, it appears hopeful that safe
guards are not too difficult the
committee said.
Particular attention should be
paid to the installations in which
concentrated nuclear fuel is pro-
duced, since the product lends itself
Immediately to the production of
bombs. Unless appropriate safe
guards are taken at each of these
stages it will be difficult to insure
that no diversion of material or
installations will take place"
Report in Six Chapters.
The report was made up of six
CIldpltIS. Lie SCleIlIlSlS, VINO
acknowledged they dealt with non-
secret and previously published in
formation, said that in approaching
the assignment they kept in mind
that the problem was not solely what
to do about atomic energy as a weap-
on, but, rather, the entire problem
of what use shall be made of a dis
covery so great that its consequences
will affect the future of human So
ciety."
The report showed that "the
activities leading to peaceful and
destructive ends in this (atomic)
domain are so intimately inter-
related as to be almost inseparable."
The committee said it was possible
that major discoveries may have
been made somewhere in the world
but not disclosed. 1t added, however.
that there are scientific grounds for
believing that discoveries unknown
to us, which might seriously in
ICoo ATONETC naco .