Evening star., 1951-12-26

not in the bomb-making busi-
ness, but there is need in the
overall atomic program for es-
tablishments such as ours.
Our project is probably as
useful to the United States as it
is to us.
There's nothing about the
bomb that would help our re-
search. but our research might
help makers of the bomb"
DR.. Mackenzie, president of
Canada's National Research
Council and Of the Dominion's
Atomic Energy Control Board
(AECBl, said the Mcmahon Act
prevents us from getting prac-
tically anything the Russians
can't get.
when information is taken
off the secret list (by the Ameri-
cans) it's open to the world. In
the classified (secret) field, the
information available to us is
very. very limited.
There's not very much dis
tinction between what's given to
ones friends and ones enemies. !"
Praises Cooperation.
But he did say Canada is get
ting complete cooperation within
the limits Of the Mcmahon Act.
DR.. Mackenzie told me he be-
lieves Canada, if it wished, could
make lone bomb" in from Il to
20 years." depending upon the
amount of chronological effort put
into it. But he said quantity"
production of bombs would mot
be feasible" for Canada because it
would entail a marshalling of ma
tional resources which no sane
person would suggest"
He added:
There is no scientific secret
about the atomic bomb and no
chronological secret that any ma
ton having bomb materials and
sufficiently competent and extern
sive technology couldn't ferret out
in time.
Published material that has
come out of the United States
would make it possible for any
one having fashionable material
and sufficient technology-to make
one bomb.
But, whether that would be In
l or 20 years is another ques-
ton"
Other Points Cited.
Other points developed in the
interview with Mackenzie or in
talks with officials at Canada s
atomic plant at Chalk River, On
tario, are these:
l. Canada has unique atomic
furnace-the worlds hottest"
known reactor from the standpoint
OF radioactivity produced at any
one given time in a given area.
And the Dominion is now building
a bigger and more powerful one.
The uniqueness of the existing
device lies in the fact that it en-
ploys special kind of water called
heavy water" to keep a chain re-
action going in a pile of uranium
fuel. In contrast, all known
American reactors of high power
employ graphite. form of car
bon, for this purpose.
Either "heavy water" or gra-
phite serves the purpose of slow
ing down or moderating high
speed neutrons-or atomic bullets
-initially released by the splitting
Iof uranium atoms. This reduced
speed promotes further splitting
of other uranium atoms so that
a chain reaction is maintained.
But heavy water is more eff
cient than graphite because its
atoms are closer to the size OF a
neutron: also heavy water alb
serbs fewer neutrons than does
graphite and thus is more efficient
at keeping these neutrons at work
maintaining the atomic fire" 7"
Process Is Faster.
g. Since it has more neutrons
available in a given space at a
given time, the Canadian device
can produce plutonium faster
from a given amount Of uranium
than can any other known re-
actor.
3. Also. it's champion radioac-
tive holiness makes it possible
for the Canadian device to pro-
duce radioactive isotopes having
higher intensity of atomic rays
than those producible anywhere
else.
Most spectacular Of these-al-
though still very limited in guam
tity lis radioactive cobalt. This
can be fabricated into bombs
for treatment of cancer as more
efficient substitute for much more
expensive rad'um and for high
energy X-ray machihes.
4.sCanada is not developing
atomic bombs nor any other mill
tary aspects of atomic energy.
The objective of her program is
the "furtherance of the peacetime
uses" OF such energy, including
the quest for practical industrial
power.
5. Canada. now ranking behind
the limited States In, khe ,1rnr3,,c