Evening star., 1948-04-30
The Atom Is Not d Plum

President Truman is thoroughly justi-
fed in speaking out against Republican
proposal to pass special law for one
year extension of the terms of Chairman
Lilienthal and the four other members of
the Atomic Energy Commission. The pro-
posal, if adopted, would be nothing but
partisan political maneuver inspired by
patronage considerations related to the
possible outcome of the November elec-
tions. 1t would be bad for the country,
and it ought, therefore, to be abandoned
at once as something wholly unworthy of
serious consideration.
That the proposal has been considered
at all is attributable solely and simply to
what may happen in November. The Re-
publicans think that one Of their party
will be elected President, and they have
good reason for so thinking. But they
have no good reason whatever for going
on from there to deal with the atom as
if it were political plum. They have no
good reason for trying to circumvent the
Atomic Energy Act with special new
law designed to enable Mr.. Trumans pos
sible COP successor to name his own men
to the Acc, regardless of the great need
for continuity, experience and certainty
of leadership in that all-important agency.
AS adopted by Congress in 1916, the
Atomic Energy Act provided that the
initial terms of all five Acc members
should expire on August l of this year,
but that after that date the terms should
be staggered from one to five years, thus
allowing for the creation of single
vacancy every year. The President has
reappointed the present commissioners on
that basis, with Mr.. Lilenthal nominated
for the five-year term. Certain Repub-
licans in the Senate, however, notably Mr..
Taft, have baked at continuation But
they have baked cautiously. They do not
want to reject in toto, and they do not
want to accept in toto. So they have come
forward with their compromise" proposal
"a proposal to permit Republican Presi-
dent, If one is elected, to name brand
new commission in August of 1949.
Some people have sought to defend all
this on the ground that there are plenty
of precedents for it in the history of
American politics. But the atom itself is
unprecedented, and it is not political. 1t
is not Republican plaything or Demo-
cratic plaything. 1t is the most awesome
force ever harnessed by man since the
beginning of time. Our future well-beng
and security are inextricably wrapped up
in it, Parties, if they are to serve the
best interests of the Nation, cannot deal
with it as if it were post office in Squee-
dunk or some similar patronage pie to
be cut up and distributed among the faith
full. 1t must be divorced completely and
absolutely from partisanship. If it is not,
then this country will suffer, and it may
suffer gravely
The Aces present members have been
reappointed, as the President says, with
out any reference to their political affilia-
tions. They have been reappointed
because they have demonstrated their
excellent qualifications for the job and
because they have acquired rich and
rare experience in it. Can the Republi-
cans name better men? Can they show
how our development of the atom will be
helped and not hindered by getting new
commission now? If so, let them come out
and fight forthrightly along that line.
The compromise" one-year proposal is
less than brave. 1t smacks of the kind of
politicking that can be costly in the ex-
treme for all of us if we ever allow
partisanship to take possession of our
gigantic and fateful atomic enterprise.
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