Evening star., 1947-08-05
Fear Will Delay Work
On Atomic Energy,
LiIienthaI Warns
By Fronk Corey
Associated Press Stoff Writer

Liiienthal, says we must keep our
shirts on" and face up to the
A-bomb without fear-or we'll miss
the boat for "the great atomic ad-
venture"
In an exclusive interview, he told
the Associated Press there is "a
good deal CT jumpiness about
atomic bombs" and that it is the
result partly of public statements
and scare stories by some folks who
believe that theN only way to i'm
press people about something is to
scare the. hell out of them"
Mr.. Lilienthal declined to say
who made the statements.
Chairman of the Atomic Energy
Commission, Mr.. Lilienthal said:
Il can't in the foreseeable future
see existing sources of electrical
energy wiped out by the advent of
nuclear power. Nuclear power
will fit in with and supplement 9TH
er power resources. ."
1.-The advent of atomic power may
well lead to a general expansion of
all Notwithstanding the
demands for present sources of
power"
Up to American People.
Mr.. Lilienthal said it is up to the
American people to decide to what
extent atomic energy development
shall be supported and pushed in
this country, and that such a deci-
sion requires knowledge of both the
destructive and creative possibilities
of the atom.
He declared:
"Such a decision should not be
made in an atmosphere Of fear and
hysteria. 1t requires reason and
judgment-andf fear Is the enemy of
thought.
There is no question but that the
facts about the destructive powers
of the atomic bomb are grim facts,
but there is right and a. wrong
way of presenting them to people.
"T.he right way is to say:
Look-thiS thing is tough. 1t is
grim 1t Is not happy experience
to be living with a nightmare. But
we must talk about it as mature
people and not react like children
to horror tale at bedtime
"'Let us see what we can do to-
wards insuring against atomic war
fare, rather than waste our ener-
gies fearing the threat of it. Let
us see to it, too, that the shadow
of the bomb does not blind us to
the scope of atomic development as
a potential blessing to mankind
Like Yell of Fire"
The wrong way is to discuss
atomic energy as though we were
just two steps away from all sorts
of flying saucers. The wrong way
is to proceed on the premise that
the only way to get people to act
Is to scare them. It's like a fellow
who yells, 'Firep in a crowded the
ater."
Mr.. Lilienthal said that fear-or
: apathy-might blind people ito the
fact that this nation must maintain
and enhance the lead it now has in
atomic energy development not only
as a means of seeking our own Sc
curity and Well-being but as a pos
sible means of assuring the peace of
the world"
This echoes the though Mr.. Lilien-
thai recently expressed to the Amer
ican Society of Newspaper Editors,
when he said:
IF we as a people thoroughly
understand the implications, both
destructive and creative, of this new
force-if we keep way in the fore
front In its development-it is not
fantastic to hope that the time will
come when in spite of all political
obstacles to the free flow of news,
the peoples of the whole world will
also come to realize that there is
no security for any one unless in
ternstional agreement safeguards
the whole world against the misuse
of atomic energy"
Momentum Regained.
In his interview, Mr.. Lilienthal
continued:
1--WE have regained some Of the
momentum which was lost irnmedi-
ately after the war and during the
time that public policy on the i'm
mediate future mission of atomic
energy development was being fash
ioned.
That policy is a good deal clearer
now The outlook for going ahead
Is better now than it was a few
months ago, but there is still no
occasion for any great patting of
ourselves on the back. Our great
est mistake would be to indulge in
fat-headed self -congratulation."
Mr.. Lilienthal was interviewed at
headquarters of the f1ve-man COM
mission.
From this headquarters, the COM
mission, through its general man
ager, directs the activities of men
who, it says, are giving major at
tentior'' to development and pro-
duction in the field of atomic
weapons and who have the objec-
tive of improving" such weapons.
From here the commission directs