Evening star., 1947-04-10
Atom Commission SET
For Long Range Plans
After LiIienihaI Wins |
BY fhs Assseiotsd Press

After lilieniIldl Wins
Byfhs Assseiossd Press
The Atomic Energy Commits
sion came out OF It's storm cellar
today and plunged Immediately
into long-range planning FOR
peaceful and military develop
|ment Of nuclear power.
The blasts which roared about ths
commission during II weeks Of
argument on Capitol Hill subsidized
last night when the Senate voted
so to 81, to confirm David e. Lilien-
thai IN the chairman's job he has
held since January !. Later foul
fellow commissioners and General
Manager Carroll Wilson were con-
firmed without the formality OF roll
calls.
President Truman today expressed
qualification over approval Of his
nominations. and said he was sorry
1t took the Senate so long to act.
Mr.. Lilienthal's aides said COM
mission operations had been "seri-
ously" handicapped BY uncertainty
over the legal status Of the COM
missions membership.
They added that Is the Senate
argument droned on over charges
that Mr.. LilienthAl was soft" In
his attitude toward Communism
the work OF the agency suffered
progressively.
This. they said, was reflected par
ticlllarly in efforts to hire personnel
and complete long-term industrial
contracts.
Mr.. Lilienthal made an obliQue
reference to the commissions dim
culties In terse victory statement
In which he said "the important
thing now is to get on with this Job. !"
This job" entails the outright
ownership for the Government OF all
atomic plants and materials in this
country as well as sweeping author
ity over research and development
work in all fields.
The $4,000 post of director Of en-
cheering is among the more i'm
portant job vacancies still be to
filled.
Controversy May Flare Again.
Also the commission wants to re-
wise the present short-term nature
of most Of its contracts with indus
trial firms and universities for oper-
alton of the chain of big atomic re-
search plants now In use or being
built.
But while all six OF President
Truman's atomic nominations were
approved, there are indications that
the controversy may flare UP again
In the next few weeks. Senator Nc
Kellar. Democrat, OF Tennessee, who
opened the fight against Mr.. Lilien-
thai, has indicated he will demand
seaching scrutiny of the commits
sion's funds.
The Presidents budget message to
Congress earlier this year recon-
mended an outlay OF $500. 600 900 for
the commission, Of which half would
be an actual appropriation and the
remainder an authorizat ton for the
commission to commit itself to $780,.
00o, 900 in additional contracts.
Appropriation Still Unwritten.
The appropriation bill has not yet
been written in Congress, however.
When the commission took over
the military's bomb developing and
manufacturing agency on January
/, the estimated value Of atomic
properties owned by the Government
was 81 ,400, 900 900. The number OF
workers totaled about $4,000. This
organiza ton. however, is being ex-
panded as new research plants 60
into operation.
While one phase of commission
effort deals with harnessing atoms
10 power production for industry,
another continues the research from
which today's program originated
the military use Of atomic energy.
This falls into two central cate
gories:
(A) Further improvement Of the
already devastating power Of the
atomic bomb, together with possible
uses of radioactive poison materials
created as a by-product Of industrial
atomic pile plants, and (B) use OF
atomic power to propel ships, air.
planes and vehicles.
Power Applica tion Is Difficult.
Scientists and high-ranking ofii-
cials have predicted freely that
bombs vastly more powerful than
those exploded against the Japanese
or in the Bikini experiments should
be expected. But experts caution
that design dif1iculties will require
some time before atomic power
plants can be put into naval surface
ships or submarines and that the
date at which airplanes can be
flown by such power is too far in the
future to be estimated.
In connection with the military
aspects Of atomic energy, 4 series
Of semiofncial documents purport-
ing to set forth War and Navy De-
partment thoughts on the subject
have been compiled by the Library
of Congress legislative reference
service for use Of congressional COM
mittees.
Two Of these made available to
reporters yesterday disclosed that
ID the War Department believes
for a number Of years, perhaps as
many as eight to Is. only the United
States will possess atomic bombs
In significant quantities" and t2)
a Navy belief that long-range
rockets with atomic warheads are
not to be expected for another Is
years.
Those confirmed by the Senate