Evening star., 1949-11-27
Secrecy and the Atom


There is a certain irony involved in the
speculation that some recent remarks by
Senator johnson constitute the main
reason for President Truman's huSh-hush
conference with Attorney General McGrath
and Senator Mcmahon, chairman Of the
Joint Congressional Atomic Energy Com
mittee.
The irony is In the fact that Mr. Johnson,
who is one of the committees most ardent
advocates of more and more atomic secrecy,
has said things which Mr.. Truman-ac-
cording to the speculation-appears to
have regarded as a serious violation of
mandatory security restrictions. Hence
again according to the speculation-he has
called upon Mr.. McGrath and Mr.. McMa-
hon to do whatever can be done to prevent
such violations In the future, whether by
congressman or anybody else.
As for Mr.. johnson, he considers 1t in
conceivable that his recent remarks have
had anything to do with the Presidents
action. True, he has publicly stated that
we now have an A-bomb six times as effec-
tive as the one dropped on Nagasaki and
that we have made considerable progress"
toward developing one 1000 times as effec-
tive. But the Senator-still calling for
more and more secrecy and somewhat
aghast at the idea that he, of all people,
has been regarded as too non-Secretive-
has emphatically absolved himself Of hav-
ing violated any restriction, his point being
many times before.
As a matter OF fact, Mr.. johnson can
make pretty good case in his favor, the
truth being that informed writer's and
official and senlioncial hinters have fre-
quently stated most Of the things he has
stated, at least in essence. Thus, for
example, after the Eniwetok tests, the
Atomic Energy Commission itself revealed
substantial improvement" in our
A-bomb-a revelation leading to all sorts
of talk, in high places and low, about our
now having one with perhaps even more
than six times the effectiveness of the
Nagasaki type. Indeed, almost three years
ago, in an article in the Infantry Journal,
John ]. McCloy, fresh from his experience
as Assistant Secretary Of War, declared
that we could expect q tenfold increase in
the weapon and that in the not-too-dis-
tant future our nuclear scientists, by
working with hydrogen and helium, might
be able to produce one 1000 times more
devastating.
Everything considered, therefore, sena-
tor Johnson's statements do not appear to
have been particularly striking, sensation
ally new or exceptionally authoritative.
Since he is member Of the Congressional
Atomic Committee, however, they may
seem to the President to have been seri-
ously injudicious. but it is hard to see how
such Enthusiastically speculative-can
be controlled either now or in the future.
OF, course, specific information is another
matter, covered by the law, but generalized
observations cannot easily be restricted.
Actually, the issue OF atomic secrecy
serious though 1t is-adds up to the prob
lem Of drawing Z wise line between the
essentials and non-essentials Of security.
It is decidedly dificult problem, not least
Of all because in trying to solve It we can
make the mistake of becoming 50 secretive
as to prevent free enterprise from learning
enough to contribute to the military and
non-military development Of the atom.
This point, presumably, has not been over
looked by the President.