The union times., 1946-03-23
Dissents From Giving Control To Militarists
To Bring Battle For Civilian Jurisdiction To Senate
 Floor
WASHINGTON (IPA)


 The advice of President Tru- man, Commerce Secretary Henry Wallace, trade union leaders, atomic scientists, edu- catOrs, a brigadier general and a large number of Con- gressmen might as we'll have been thin air last week as the special Senate Atomic Com mittee voted down Truman's request for legislation placing atomic energy under the con- trOl of a civilian commission free from military dOmina- ton.
 By 11-to-1 vote, with only Sen. Brian McMahon O., Conn.) dissenting, the commit tee rejected the Truman proposal and accepted instead plan by Army and Navy brasshats and in troduced by Sen. Arthur Van denberg (R., Mich empowering a military board to review any decision of the civilian commis- sion.
 Sen. McMahOn, however, made it clear that he would carry his fight to the Senate floor and there were indications that the President would put the heat on Congressional leaders to rally support for the Me- MahOn bill which would insure civilian control.
 Wallace, charging that the commit tees action "has the potentiality of delivering us into the hands of mili- tary fascism," challenged the people "to rise in their wrath" against con trol of atomic energy by the military He was joined by the Federation of American Scientists, representing more than 4,000 workers who devel- oped the bomb, Never in the history of the U. Shot even in time of war-has the military been given such policy making powers" declared the Federation. "ThiS bill If enacted will be a clear declaration to the world that the people of the US. put their faith in military might The issue of military review and veto on civil pol icy is now squarely up to the Ameri- can people"
 Hutchins Opposes It
 Chancellor Robert M. HutchinS, of the University of Chicago, spoke the views of many other educators when he said that Taking atomic energy away from the military would help us to get peace, for it would show that our intentions are peaceful. We should stop swaggering and rattling our atomic bombs We must remem- Der that an atomic war is war mo- body can win"
 Dr. Edward U. COndOn, director of the Natl Bureau of Standards, stated that the U. s. ''Must regain for all scientists that freedom from military domination which is so necessary if science is to be used for peaceful ends." The scientific lif& he cOntended, ''must not be subOrdinated to, nor derive its chief support from, the military. This is essential in the interests of the mili- tary themselves. Because the sci- entific spirit is SO completely Op- pOsite to the military spirit, science simply will not go forward under military domination.
 Brig. Gen. H. C. Holdridge (Ret), West Point graduate and an Army man for more than 20 years, con tended that "the military mind is un- qualified by virtue of its peculiar training to handle as potent a force as atomic energy" Holdridge, who is chairman of the legislative committee of the Veterans League of America, declared q have 1t on the authority of the scientists engaged in atomic re- search that there is not one officer in the U. s. Army qualified to adnlnis- ter intelligently a program of peace time development of the atom"
 Carlson Backs HOldridge
 Holdridge was supported by Col. Evans Carlson, representing the American Veterans Committee, who said that "As a citizen and a combat veteran I am convinced our best hope for peace depends on civilian control of atomic energy within the US. and UNO control in the world"