Evening star., 1953-04-30
Los AIon1os and World History

AS, April ends, one of the worlds most
significant institutions-the Los Alamos Scien-
tiic acknowledgements the completion of
decade of operations whose promise and threat,
in terms of the destiny of mankind, can hardly
be exaggerated. Yet no birthday party has been
staged to honor it on its 10th anniversary.
Indeed. as far as recognition and remembrance
are concerned the only thing it has received is
letter of commentator from Chairman Cor
don Dean of the Atomic Energy Commission.
But the letter-addressed to Dr. Norris E.
Bradbury, the laboratory's directors good
one that effectively calls the Nations attention
to the accomplishments of the scientists and
technicians who are serving at Los AlamoS
or who have served thcrC in the past Speaking
for both himself and his fellow commissioners,
Mr. Dean has declared that the Acc is proud"
Of these men and deeply grateful" for their
immense contribution" and he has added
the thought that the commissions pride and
gratitude should be shared by all Americans"
This is not eXtravagant praise. After all,
as Mr.. Dean has said, atomic bombs in the past
10 years have played major role in the ending
of one gIobal war and in the prevention of
another, and the United States has achieved
and maintained international leadership in the
A-WeaponS field. These accomplishments must
be credited "in a very large measure" to the
MFR. Deans words, it is hard to think of any
other group whose work has had "a greater
influence for good on the course of world
history and the lives of people everywhere"
AS in the past, the Los Alamos scientists
continue to operate behind thick wall of
secrecy, but not too thick to hide the fact that
they are responsible for what Mr.. Dean has
hailed as truly remarkable progress"-prog-
resS of kind that cannot be revealed now,
although the full story may be told "at some
point in the future" Meanwhile, this much is
known: Whereas the Soviet Union has sue
ceeded thus far in setting off only three atomic
explosions, the United States-wholly apart
from the Hiroshima and NagasaN blasts-has
set of some 40 nucear detonations here on
the continent and in the far Pacific. Each of
these tests has marked an important new
advance in the development of tactical and
Strategical A-weapons and the unimaginably
destructive hydrogen bomb. AS result, it is
safe to assume that America is supreme in this
field by a wide margin. In turn, although it
will not necessarily be ours for all time, that
supremacy undoubtedly acts as great deter
rent on the Kremlin and helps to explain why
the Atlantic alliance has decided to take the
risk of stretching out" its defensive build-up
This does not mean of course, that the free
nations enjoy sure guarantee against sudden
attack, but it certainly tends to moderate that
danger. That is why Mr. Dean has credited
the Los Alamos scientists with exercising an
immense influence for good on world history"
In fact although they are the fabricators
of tremendously deadly weapons, their work
conceivably may have the effect Of perma-
nently dissuading the Soviets from aggression.
In any event, as of now, it gives our own and
allied countries magnitude Of power that
must have an extremely SOLDERING influence on
the men of the Kremlin.