Evening star., 1950-06-25
HorweH and Atomic Portnership

In the fullest unveiling to date of the work
being done at Harwe-the United Kingdoms
center of nuclear research and development-the
British have left little room for doubt that they
are making significant atomic progress They
have nothing comparable to our giant facilities
at Oak Ridge, Hanford and Los Alamos, nor are
they producing A-weapons as we are. But it is
safe to assume that their theoretical knowledge
of the subject-including the maybe" hydrogen
bombs well advanced perhaps to the point of
being abreast of ours or possibly even ahead
Of it.
Thus, as made clear to scores of correspond
ents at the unveiling the other day, Harwell-
with its chain-reacting nuclear pile its 180-
000000-vot cyclotron, its kaleidoscope production
its metallurgical research setup, and its chemical
laboratories-is amply equipped to keep the
British up to the minute at least as far as theory
goes, in the task of harnessng the atom both
for military and peacetime purposes. For ex-
ample, according to Sir John Cockcroft-the top
director of this project-they are now ready to
undertake a reactor program aimed at making
1t possible to use atomic energy for industrial
power and ship propulsion within the next sew
eral years. Further than that they have already
developed new method enabling them to pro-
duce uranium 235 much less extensively than
heretofore
OF course, as our Atomic Energy Commission
has reported to Congress on more than one
occasion, our own progreSS-wholly apart from
highly important gains in connection with new
and deadlier weapons-has been substantial in
such fields as reactor development and cheaper
uranium production. But we have no reason
to feel complacent or self-sufficient on that
score. After ALL as demonstrated during the
war, when they offered indispensable help to us
in the historic Anglo Canadian American part
nership that produced the first A-bombs Britain's
nuclear scientists must be numbered among the
worlds best, and they concevably may be ac-
compliShing things at Harwel that could be of
real assistance to us-things of theoretical or
practical nature that we ourselves may lack
AS matters stand today, however there is no
exchange OF significant atomic information be-
tween the United States on one hand and Britain
and Canada on the other. Although there is
continuing cooperation on small SCALE the
three powers do not work together in anything
remotely like their wartime partnership This
Is so primarily for two reasons: % Because the
1946 law establishing our Acc has all but dis
solved that partnership and (2) because recent
efforts to restore limited measure of collabora-
tlon have been UNDERSTANDABLE set back by indi-
cations OF loose security safeguards in the United
Kingdom Naturally enough, Congress has been
MADE very wary as a result of the case of DR..
Klaus Fuchs, the naturalized British citizen who
had key position at Harwell and betrayed vital
secrets to Russia.
Yet it seems fairly obvious that limited
revival of the wartime partnership might be as
helpful to us as to Britain and Canada, both Of
whom, besides being Key members of the Atlantic
Pact and knowing great deal about the atom.
control large sources of uranium Unfortunately.