The Waterbury Democrat., 1946-07-25
Oak Ridge Scientists Hit Security Clause OF McMahon;s BilL

Oak Ridge, Tenn, July S-(UP) The Oak Ridge Association of En- gineers and scientists warned today that the proposal security proposal in the McMahon Atomic Energy Control Bill will drive most of the competent scientists and engineers out of the Manhattan project"
 Under the house proposal, death would be the penalty for those deliberately aiding other countries to obtain major atomic secrets to the detriment of the U. s.
 In a telegram to House Speaker Sam Rayburn, D.-Tex), the group warned that the bill contained a threat to the personal security of the scientists and their families.
 Say Army Doesn't Know
 The message also protested the inclusion of military men on the Atomic Energy Commission because the Army does not possess the "know how"
 The House bill provides that at least one, and not more than two members, of the five-man Atomic Control Commission be from the military. And 1t called for the di- rector of the military application division to be military man.
 Under the Senate version, the commission would be completely civilian, including the director.
 'The Army does not have it. The hoe a 11ryo IoI }n IANav,I upon the civilian scientist to tell it what information was important to national security. If the scient- ists are driven from the project, the know how will go with them" the scientists asserted.
 Made Talks Re- Open
 They pointed out that "irrespon- sible talk by certain (unnamed) members of the House has made present senior staff members re- open negotiations with outside in- Stitutions."
 The telegram warned that the presence of military men on the commission might mean that con- petent civilian administrators would refuse appointment to membership.
 No military man can act inde- pendently of his superiors and his presence will inevitably snarl the work of the commission. Limiting the power of the commission will result in refusal of appointment by good men since they will not have the authority to implement prospos- als for either peaceful or military application"
 The scientists charged that the House-proposed amendments to the McMahon bill were based on "an appalling ignorance of the facts of atomic energy, of the things which this bill must accomplish, of what the bill actually contains
 Branded As Nonsense
 House and military objections against giving atomic secret" to civilian commission were branded as obvious nonsense" by the asso- citation in its telegram.
 l These secrets are largely in the hands of civilians at present actual ly if military men. untrained in the nuclear sciences, are placed on or near the commission, 1t is they who will have to be instructed in the basic information and entrusted with know how which may be beyond their ability to handle" the telegram said
 It was held by the association that the house amendments to the McMahon control bill would render "fruitless efforts of the U S. to secure international agreement in the field of atomic energy"
 The only permanent security of this country against atomic warfare depends upon such agreements, they declared "Congressmen must be made to realize that no attempt to keep non-existent or unimport- ant secrets can prevent atomic bomb manufacture by other countries.