Evening star., 1949-05-22
Scare Stories and the Atom


Judging from statements made by
Chairman Mcmahon and other members
of the Senate House Committee on Atomic
Energy, the case of the missing uranium
still involves a number Of murky details
that need to be cleared up. Beyond that,
however, there appears to be no good reason
for alarmist, spy-thriller suggestions that
somebody may have tried to walk of with
the stuff in order to make 1t easier for Rus
sia to produce A-bombs.
The murky details-which the Joint
committee regards as serious enough for
further investigation-may best be out
lined in the form of questions. For ex-
ample, Just how did the Atomic Energy
Commission lose track of an ounce OF
U-2352 Is there any significance in the
fact that the Acc waited for considerable
period before calling in the FBI? Does
the commissions accounting system need
Tightening up? And do current operations
at Oak Ridge, the Argonne National Lab
oratory and other key plants involve de-
gree of carelessness that could affect the
Nations security?
Although the Acc may in fact operate
with great efficiency and ample safeguards,
these and similar questions apparently
have not yet been answered to the salts
faction of the Senate House committee,
and for that reason continued inquiry is
warranted. But in other respects the story
of the missing uranium does not seem to
Justify the great furry Of excitement 1t
has caused in some quarters. For one
thing, the FBI has indicated that espio-
mage has been ruled out. For another, all
but fraction of the lost ounce is said to
have been accounted for through analysis
of waste materials, chemical solutions, etc.
Finally, even II the full amount had reached
hostile hands, 1t would have been Of no
value in terms of building an A-bomb.
OF course, we must expect more and more
of these atomic "scares" as long as the
world lacks an effective system OF atomic
control. In fact, given an unbridled nuclear
ornaments race, with country competing
against country in rumor laden atmoS-
phere of jittery secrecy we are likely to
drift into period when international fear
and suspicion, feeding on themselves, may
fatten into a Kind Of panic. At any rate,
with the atom continuing uncontrolled.
there Is likely to be . multiplication OF
stories much more disturbing than the one
about the missing U-235-stories OF type
that will give whole nations reason to
speculate darkly about each other and
about what the morrow may bring.
The stage is already set for this The
United States has no monopoly on the
atom. Like Britain, Canada and France,
the Soviet Union very probably has nu-
clear reactors, which means that 1t can
produce at least minute quantities OF the
explosive content of the A-bomb. In other
words, we must assume that 1t is at least
as far advanced as we were in December.
1912, when we built the first successful
reactor-a development that opened the
way to Hiroshima less than three years
later. The Russians do not have to steal an
ounce of U-235 from us to make the same
progress at similar pace. Given an all
out effort on their part, they should be
able to turn out their own atomic weapons
by 1852, il not earlier It would be foolish
to think otherwise.
So, with the nuclear ornaments race
thus going on right now, what is to stop
fear and suspicion from increasing pro-
gressively throughout the world? The an
swer Is that nothing can stop it-nothing,
that is, but q truly effective atomic control
system of the kind sponsored by the United
States and supported by the overwhelming
majority OF the United Nations.
To date, Russia has stood alone in block
ing such control. AS a result, slowly but
surely, the world is moving toward con-
ditions conducive to hysteria and panic.
The drift can be halted only by change
in Soviet policy Without that, the future
will be full of scare" stories that may be
climaxed one day by nightmare more
real than imagined.