Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1948-08-01

lar, the main characteristic of the az
ingly fsar-ridden in spite Of the
implicit in it.
The fear and the fright are pre-
dominant at the moment primarily
because of the Soviet Unions fiat
refusal to join with the overwhelm-
ing majority OF nations in establish
ing a vetoless international control
system designed to harness the atom
for peace and prevent its use for
war. As a result of the refusal, the
world is now engaged in by far the
deadliest ornaments race in history
AT present the United States, which
was the first to produce the bomb,
continues in the lead and is con-
stantly improving on its A-weapons
But in time, possibly within the
next decade, other countries-nota-
bly, Russia-are likely to catch up
with us.
No Time for Pessimism
In such q situation-which con-
ceivably could explode in 20
years or so into a war capable OF
annihilating two-thirds or more OF
the human race-it is at once nat
ural and sensible to think of the
atom largely in terms of enormous
and almost indescribable evil. Yet
the fact remains that this power
actually and potentially, is also a
thing of enormous and almost in
describable good. To overlook that
point, to minimize it, or to take the
view that it is futile to be hopeful
about it, would be to surrender to
the kind of pessimism and defeatism
that could serve only to bring on
the very catastrophe that men fear
most.
Accordingly, three years after
Hiroshima, if the world must brood
over the dreadful implications of
the atom, there is something to be
said for giving thought at the same
time to the brighter, nonmilitary
aspects of this great new source of
energy. Nuclear fission means far
more than A-weapons. AS a science,
in the words of DR.. Vannevar Bush,
it is probably still in the stage where
electricity was century ago, in the
days of Faraday. Its beneficial pos
sibilities-for public health, for in
dustry, for agriculture, for the gen.
eral well-being and happiness OF
mankind-are, in fact, so promising
and breath-taking that many atomic
authorities, presupposing an endur-
ing peace, feel that the bomb may
vet come to be known as relatively
minor and crude development that
served merely to give grim start
to an unprecedented epoch of hui
man betterment.
Main Reason for Optimism
A major reason for this optimistic
view is the advent of an abundance
of radioisotopes. They have the same
chemical properties as the stable
common elements-such as carbon,
iodine, iron, silver, zinc, etc.-but
they have a different atomic weight
and are radioactive. Prior to the
establishment of our nuclear-fission
project, they were extremely rare
and prohibitively expensive. In pre-
war days, for example, the produc-
ton Of one millicurie OF carbon IA
would have required a full years
continuous operation of five CYCLIC
irons at a cost of 100000. But
today. simply by subjecting the COM
mon elements to neutron lombard
ment in our uranium-graphite piles,
this kaleidoscope and upward OF
100 other varieties are being mass
produced with such ease and In
such quantity that the selling price
is negligible-$50 or less per MILL
curie.
In the Judgment OF those best
qualified to evaluate it, the signif1-
canoe of this development can
scarcely be exaggerated. For the
abundant production of radioiso-
topes-just as the invention OF the
microscope did in an earlier day
is enabling man to move into a vast
and hitherto walled-off field Of in
vestigation and experiment, with the
result that his fundamental knowl-
edge Of himself and his world will
almost certainly undergo a pro-
foundly far-reaching expansion. AS
never before, equipped with these
great new research tools and en-
ploying them as "tracers" In the
bloodstream, In plants or IN in
animate matter, science Is armed
to probe some Of natures most
basic secrets, to war on dread dis
eases, to extend the span OF life,
to stimulate industrial advances. to
increase the production Of food and
to make a number Of other vital
contributions to the progress OF
humanity.
Biz Potentialities
In the field of public health, for
example, it seems reasonable to
expect that the scourge OF cancer
will become less formidable. The
cure for the disease. or the preven-
ton of 1t, may still be long way
OF, but a recent announcement by
our Atomic Energy Commission
strongly suggests that great i'm
provements are on the way in treat