Evening star., 1946-02-03

the strength of what some of the worlds
most eminent scientists have been OPEN
ly saying since last August 6, and on
the strength of what has been said by
such authorities as Maj. Gen. Leslie r.
Groves, chief of our wartime nuclear
flssion project, it may safely be said that
the subject is one which pretty much
matter of fact.
For instance, it is no longer ridiculous
to speculate over the possibility that
man will be able in due course to send
himself, or one of his guided missiles,
on round trip to the moon. Given the
steady advance of electronics, given the
harnessed atom as fuel, this becomes
entirely conceivable. Similarly, as the
Smyth report suggests, there is at least
a theoretical chance that common ma
terials will eventually lend themselves
to nuclear fission. At present the atom
splitters can have success only with
uranium and thorium-heavy, unstable
elements, and definitely limited in guam
tity. On some tomorrow, however, what
is now the highly improbable may be-
come the actual, and abundant things
like iron may be readily fashionable A
point worth remembering as regards all
such speculation is that the science OF
atomic energy, as DR.. Vannevar Bush
has declared, is probably in the stage
tphere electricity Was at the time OF
FGraday."
Rapid Development Seen.
III relation to the present and the
relatively near future, however, certain
peacetime developments may be an
ticipated with considerable confidence,
and the following statements-judging
from what has been made known in the
last six months-may be regarded as
reasonably conservative:
ID That with the advent of atomic
energy and its radioactive byproducts,
there probably will be series of i'm
portant new discoveries in biology,
chemistry and physics. The fight against
cancer. for example, may be spectacu-
larry advanced
(2) That the fashionable material now
available in the United States-a mate
rial not susceptible to deterioration
could be used Immediately to heat whole
cities like Washington from central
plants, and that such a project, though
more costly now, would in time perhaps
be cheaper than the use of coal, oil or
gas-and it would be smokeless.
90 That atomic fuel does not hold
out much promise as motive power for
automobiles and planes of current de-
sign, but that it could be used to drive
locomotives, battleships and things of
a similar nature structurally capable of
absorbing the very thick shielding now
needed to contain the extremely dam
gerous radiations of -reacting
nuclear fission. Eventually, of course,
it is possible that protective barriers
will be made light enough for any means
of transport.
May Be Power Producer.
"a That there is nothing to prevent
the use of atomic energy as power
producer. Since we already possess so
much coal and falling water, there is
no pressing need for rapid development
along this line in America, but it is
entirely possible-even probable-that in
undeveloped areas of the world, where
natural resources are scarce, nuclear
fission will be employed to generate
electricity at less than prohibitive cost,
and there might thus be effected an
international economic, social and po-
litical transformation in which perhaps
even barren wastes like the Sahara
could be made fruitful.
90 That coal, oil and falling water
probably will remain Americas primary
source of power for long time to come,
but that atomic energy will play such an
increasingly significant role that gradu-
ally-over period OF decades-there
will almost certainly be far-reaching
changes, for good or ill, in our economy,
our society, our politics and cur moral
outlook.
And (6) that the domestic legislation
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