Evening star., 1950-04-23
Censorship and the Atom

In his address on secret weapons and free
speech, Dr. Henry De Wolfe Smyth, the dstin-
guShed scientist member of the Atomic Energy
Commission, has outlined to the American Society
of Newspaper Editors reasonable and reassur-
ing viewpoint as regards policy the publication
of information relating to the A-bomb and the
Still-theoretical H-bomb.
AS emphasized at the same session of the
AsNE by Gerard Piel, publisher OF the Scientific
American, there has been considerable reason
within recent months to challenge some of the
Aces censorship decisions The most disturbing
of these decisions has been the one obliging Mr..
Pel's magazine to destroy 5000 copies of its April
issue because an article in it-Wrtten by DR..
Hans Betho-contained several sentences which
the Security-conScious commission objected to.
This particular incident as DR.. Smyth has
explained, might have been avoided had the
article been submitted for approval long enough
in advance of the date of publication to enable
the Acc to give fuller consideration to the sound
ness of its own decision In any case however,
whether it could have been avoided or not, the
incident may be regarded as an illustration of
the commissions difficult job in trying not to
encroach on legitimate freedom of expression
while administering the strict law governing
the control and regulation of atomic information
Thus, if the article in the Scientific American
had been written by somebody elsa person
who had never had access to classified informa-
tion or been associated at any time with our
atomic project-the Acc would have ignored it.
But DR.. Bethe has been man very much in
the know. Hence, even though the questioned
sentences apparently revealed nothing that had
not been published before, the commission had
to determine whether or not his words-backed
by the authority of his name-woud have been
of special interest and help to Russia. They may
not have been but the Acc, deciding to take
no chances, ruled against their publication
In arriving at all decisions of that sort,
according to DR.. Smyth, the Acc acts on the
assumption that it makes lot of difference
who writes an article or delivers speech. The
commission, for example, almost completely dis
regards the writings and speeches of those who
have had no access to classified information.
Such persons may hit correctly on real secrets,
but if our atomic authorities were to step in to
censor the matter, they would in effect be affirm
ing the truth of that matter, thus possibly
tipping off spies to a fact that would otherwise
be regarded as mere speculation by guesser.
On the other hand, if the author involved is a
man like DR.. Bethe-a man who has had access
to classified material-the things that he says.
even though they may have been said before.
are authoritative. Moreover, they may be said
in way that unwittingy reveals data or sug-
geStS IDEAS CQaC cOulQ De OF nelp 10 CAe hrefIllI
Accordingly, the Acc wants people of that kind
to submit their writings or talks well in advance
of publication.
In other words, the Aces information
control policy depends on who says what. DR..
Smyth has made clear that the commission
realizes how this process can have some harmful
effects. Nevertheless the world being the kind of
world it is and because the law requires certain
data must be kept under wraps. AS DR.. Smyth has
said however, the Aces approaches to the prob
lem are tentative, and it invites correction from
the outside. Constructive criticism by the press
can be helpful in keeping it from carrying its
censorship duties too far. Such criticism un-
doubtedly is needed. without it, in our search
for atomic security we could drift willy nilly into
decidedly dangerous curbs on free expression.