Evening star., 1948-10-16
The Dreadful Political Atom

If one were to Judge from the noise that
Is being made, atomic energy Is becoming
as potent factor in politics as 1t has
proved to be In war.
Governor Dewey made a speech about
the atom last month. It was vague and
in some respects rather silly. It was also
heavily tinged with partisan politics.
The Republican candidate spoke Of the
genius that split the atom and the tech
biological skill which built the vast plants
that produced the atomic bomb. He
wanted it understood that "these triumphs
were triumph of our American system,
our American way Of life-for our belief
in what man can do II he is free to tackle
his Job without fetters or fears and un-
hampered by the dead hand of political
authority" This is high-sounding non
sense, for If it had not been for what
Governor Dewey calls the dead hand Of
political authority" the atomic bomb would
never have been produced when 1t was.
Mr.. Dewey went on to take few whacks
at the Government monopoly" Of atomic
work, and to say that ut is perfectly clear
that atomic progress cannot continue to
be left exclusively to the Government"
Apparently the Governor favors the mo-
nopoly to the extent necessary to safe
guard the secret" of atomic energy and
to develop its military uses, but when this
has been done he proposes to "give Amer
ican initiative and skill chance to turn
this power to production and peaceful
account"
This is utterly meaningless. If Gov
ernor Dewey had anything specific in
mind he did not say what it was and no
one else can possibly tell. The chances
are that he was merely making a political
speech and striking q rhetorical blow for
the cause Of free enterprise versus the
Government.
President Truman, however, reads q
much more sinister meaning into the
speech. He detects a scheme for another
Teapot Dome, a plot to take control of
the peacetime uses of atomic energy away
from the Government and hand it over to
the corporations 50 that big business can
"fatten its profits The failure of the
Republican platform to mention atomic
energy, which the President at first sup
posed to be merely an oversight, now is
seen through his eyes in all its evil i'm
plications-a surrender to powerful selfish
groups within the Republican Party
(which) are determined to exploit the
atom for private profit"
It Is fair inference that this, too, is
political nonsense. If Governor Dewey
had any such sinister aim as the Presi-
dent processes to see, it Is hardly likely
that he would reveal it before the election.
And If there are any industrialists either
liable or willing to take over the atom for
private gain 1t would be interesting to
learn some Of their names Most of them
who have had any part in atomic Develop
ment are on record as wanting to leave
control with the Government
The truth of the matter is-as the
President says and as Governor Dewey
should know-that private enterprise, in
collaboration with the Government, is en-
gagged in atomic work on many, many
fronts. Some day it may be possible to
relax some of the more stringent aspects
OF Government control, but there is little
chance Of an early naturalization either
OF Governor Dewey's empty proposals or
the Presidents exaggerated fears We
are threatened with nothing more serious
in this matter than an atomic political
war which will end when the votes have
been counted.