Evening star., 1955-05-21
Bomb FaII-0ut
Peril BIackens
Outlook on CD
Rodiooctivity Not
Fully Considered,
Senators Hear
BY CECIL HOLLAND

BY CECIL HOLLAND
Senate investigators of civil
defense today pondered a new
and blacker picture of the dam
ger in a termonuclear attack
and the accompanying fall-out
that an atomic scientist de-
scribed as "a serious peril to the
United States"
The picture was drawn by Dr.
Ralph E. Lapp on the basis OF
his own calculations from infor-
nation released by the Atomic
Energy Commission on the hy-
drogen device exploded in the
Pacific last year. He testified
yesterday before a Senate Armed
Services subcommittee on civil
defense headed by Senator Ke-
fauver, Democrat. of Tennessee.
DR.. Lapp said persistence of
radioactivity from the fall-out
was one of the revolutionary
features of the hydrogen bomb
and one that has not been ade-
quately considered in civil de-
fense planning. Diagrammet-
ically, the scientist illustrated
the extent of the radioactivity,
and said he believed the hydro
gen device in itself was revolu-
tionary.
New Dangers
"An ordinary H-bomb," DR..
Lapp said, would not have pro-
duced this radioactivity."
On the basis of information
released by the Acc, DR.. Lapp
said he had calculated what
went on in the gadget itself"
However. he declined to discuss
what his calculations revealed
since the information has not
been released by the Acc.
DR.. Lapp testified that radio
activity might persist for days
weeks or even months in suf-
ficient amount, cumulatively
that would be fatal to those ex-
posed. In this respect his testi-
mony appeared to go much fur
ther, If it was not in direct con-
flict. than that given previously
by DR.. Willard F. Libby. an ACC
commissioner, before the SUBJ
committee.
In February. DR.. Libby tes-
titled the principal measure for
protection of the populace
against fallout is a reduction Of
opportunity for early exposure. {"
He suggested people would have
to remain under cover "for the
first hours or a day or so" and
following this could stay behind
shelter as much as possible"
Persistent Radioactivity
DR.. Lapp said the persistence of
radioactivity and the cumulative
effect it might have on individ-
uals has brought a new type of
warfare"-a warfare that could
deny for a long period OF time
the use of American cities. The
large area that can be struck by
the fallout is still another revolu-
tionary feature of the H-bomb,
DR.. Lapp said. He pointed out
that it has brought the quantum
principle to weapon effectiveness
and this is a serious peril to this
country.
DR.. Lapp agreed with Senator
Kefauver that evacuation of
heavily populated target areas is
part of the answer to the danger
The concept of evacuation. the
scientist said, must be considered
as evacuation to something and
some place specific. There must
be, he added. predetermined spots
to which people can go.
Types of Shelter
Unless they can be taken out
side Of fallout area, DR.. Lapp
pointed out. provisions must be
made for shelter. He had a word
on shelters: They must be con-
sidered not in terms of thick
ness-civil defense suggests shell
ters with 3 feet of covering dirt
but geometrical as to provide the
least possible exposure.
Thus a small foxhole with or
without an earth covering would
be better than a large swimming
pool: the basement of a home
better than the first floor.
DR.. Lapp said the imbalance
between expenditures for mill
tary and civilian defense is dan
gerous. Pointing out that this
country itself is subject to at
tack, he called for more thought
and effort on civil defense and
said the people will not be
apathetic about the problem if
they are given all the facts.
Another witness was Sigfried
Goetze of Monrevia, Md, execu-
tive secretary of an Emergency
Farm Committee on Civil De-
tense in that area. He sug.
gests that steps be taken to
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