Evening star., 1949-10-01
Hicken|ooper Assai|s
Committee Draft Of
Report Clearing Acc
BY the Associated Pres,

Report Clearing AtC
BY the Associated Press
A proposed report clearing the
Atomic Energy Commission of
wncre d ible mismanagement'
charges threw the Senate House
Atomic Committee into a bitter
factional battle today.
Senator Hickenlooper. Republi-
can, Of Iowa who made the charges
several months ago against the
Acc and Chairman David E
Lilienthal, branded as a white
wash" a staff-prepared draft re-
port which said the charges could
not be proved"
Senator Hickenlooper also
bluntly challenged a statement by
Committee Chairman Mcmahon
that I'VE need no change in the
management of the Atomic Energy
Commission. The commission is
not guilty of the charges that
have been leveled against it,"
Replied Senator Hickenlooper
This is not report at all. 1t
was not authorized. The conclu-
sions never have been discussed
| The inVeStigat ton is not even COM
pleted."
Hearing Wound Up.
The Senate House committee
wound up it's public hearings into
Senator Hickenlooper's accusations
last July II. after six weeks OF
sometimes fiery testimony. 1t
then turned to a closed-door study
of the atomic agencys security
policy.
The proposed report on the
committees investigation was pre-
pared by the committee staff
headed by William Borden, under
Senator McMahon's direction.
The draft was circulated to
committee members as a conf1den-
tial document for their study.
Senator McMahon called the group
into session next Wednesday to
approve or reject it.
Senator Knowland, Republican,
OF California already has chal-
lenged the circulation of the docu-
ment without any prior consul
tation or discussion with the COM
mittee membership"
Draft Is Printed.
Senator Mcmahon replied that
it was put into print to make it
more convenient for committee
men to read, and mot with any
idea Of flnalizing it or putting it
beyond your criticism" He said
it embodied his ideas and those
Of the vice chairman, Representa-
tive Durham. Democrat, of North
Carolina on what should be said
on the basis of the evidence"
Senator Russell. Democrat, OF
Georgia said he doubts that the
time yet has arrived for the
committee to make any report.
The preliminary draft. which
went into details Of evidence pre-
sented in the hearings, made these
other proposed findings, along
with its contention that Senator
Hickenlooper's. mismanagement
charges could not be proved:
/. That if there were any leaks
that helped Russia develop the
atomic bomb "all occurred before
the commission assumed RESPONSE
bility" for the atomic project in
1947. when it took over from the
Army engineers.
2. That atomic development
head reached "a low point" in
1947 and there is strong and
largely uncontested evidence" that
the commissioners have put the
project on its feet.
8 That there is mo foundation
in the evidence" for Senator
Hickenlooper's charges that Com
munists and fellow travellers have
found their way into the atomic
project.
4. That physical plant protec-
ton and FBI Investigations Of
personnel, considered alone, fur
nish anti-spy insurance to a
degree previously unknown in
America"
5. That the shipment Of isotopes
radioactive atoms-aboard Is
promoting peace" and that the
Acc did not violate the law by
such shipments or by any Of its
other actions.
Criticism Of Commission.
In criticism Of the commission,
the proposed report said:
!. That development Of reactors
atomic piles-for military pur-
poses "is overslow. notwithstand-
ing the many good reasons which
account for it,
2. That adequate aggressive
ness" hasn't been used by the Acc
in withdrawing from management
Of three communities-Oak Ridge,
Hanford and Richland.
| 3. That enough interested firms
don't get an opportunity to work
on atomic projects.
The proposed report said the
committee may have further criti-
cism of the Acc. And, in what
was interpreted as an indirect ref
erence to Senator Hickenlooper's
charges, it added:
If so, its comments will not take
the form of sweeping and vague
denunciations but will attempt to
throw perspective. as well as light,
upon shortcomings in the interest
Of strong atomic energy pro-
gram"
e \I