Evening star., 1950-04-21
'SecrecyPo|icy'
hreattoAgency
Censorship Raped
By PieI, Defended by
Smyth Before Editors
By Robert K. Walsh

Ie SECRECY policy Ol tile
Atomic Energy Commission was
severely attacked by a masaEine
executive today before the Amer
lean Society of Newspaper Editors.
Gerard Piel, publisher OF Scien-
tific American which recently was
ordered by Acc TO destroy copies
OF an issue containing an article
on the Hbomb. declared:
Secrecy has poisoned the rels-
tions OF Acc with the scientific
community of America. Secrecy
holds long-run threat to the
welfare Of our atomic energy en-
terprize. Because it is walled of
by secrecy from the legitimate
inquiry OF the press. the commits
sion has not enjoyed the advan-
tage of public surveillance and
public controversy through which
other agencies take the guidance
OF public opinion"
Smyth Defends Policy.
An Acc member, Dr.. Henry d.
Smyth, defended the agencys CEN
sorship policy. Speaking on the
same program with Mr.. Piel, DR..
Smyth, author of the controversial
Smyth report on atomic energy,
told the editors meeting at Hotel
Statler that the Commission aims
at "a middle course
Its censorship policy. DR.. Smyth
explained. is designed to preserve
the Nations defense as we'll as
freedom of speech. He conceded
however. that the whole censor
ship problem places Acc In a
dilemma"
Mr.. Piel who spoke after DR..
Smyth. said his criticism of Acc
was directed at the institution
and not the men who control It,"
He noted that Acc was endowed
at birth" with secrecy and that
this situation has been fostered
by the public and press, as we'll as
Congress.
Sees Small Risk In Discussion.
For the pail of secrecy which
so dangerously illustrates its legiti-
mate activities. the press must
blame itself as much as any. other
body" he asserted. Our news
papers and magazines have sold
themselves a gold brick"
I Referring to information avail
able to the public concerning the
hydrogen bomb project. Mr.. Piel
said it adds up to "the grave con-
clusion that the advent of the
| hydrogen bomb makes our country
more vulnerable rather Than more
secure"
He insisted that the Nation
would run only very small risk
through greater public discussion
of the non-secret technical aspects
of atomic weapons.
1T is not really significant In
terms of the public interest when
it is compared to the certain harm
which public discussion will
sustain as long as informed
scientists must keep quiet" Mr..
Piel declared. Unless the public
Is reliably and adequately in
formed and unless the people have
confidence In their information
there will be no constructive pub
lie discussion.
Tells of Suppressed Article.
Mr.. Piel described in detail how
his magazine arranged for a pub
hcation of semitic article based
largely on previously disclosed In
formation about the hydrogen
bomb project.
He related that the magazine
stopped It's presses after being re-
quested by Acc last March to
withhold publication of a technical
portion Of the article. The Acc
objections. he said, boiled down
to request to delete several SEN
tences. A short time later. how
ever, the commission asked that
all copies of the original article
be destroyed. This necessitated
the destruction of the type of the
article in question and the burn
ing Of 1900 copies of the magazine
which had been printed before the
presses were stopped. Mr.. Piel said,
Mr.. Piel explained that all pub
lications proposing to have ar
ticles dealing in any way with
atomic energy or similar subjects
must submit the material in ad-
vance to the Acc.
This narrative poses an OBJ
vious question" Mr.. Piel said.
For myself I find the logic in this
(See EDITORS pape AN