The people's voice., 1959-06-19
By WILLIAM K. WYANT, JR.
Reprinted From THE NATION,
June 13

William X. Wyant, Jr., is on the
staff of the ST. LOUIS POST-DIS-
PATCH
Ordinarily, a group that called it
self the Greater St. Louis Citizen:
Committee for Nuclear Information
would not be expected to last for any
great period of time. Mortality among
earnest and well-meaning organiza-
tions has been as great here as else
where, and the waters of the Missis-
sippi have rolled over many such. Yet
the committee now is striding vigor-
ously into it's second year. 1t has
turned out to be an unusually happy
union of scientific knowledge and
civic leadership. Lay members are not
afraid of Ph.D.s and M.D.s, the good
doctors are neither fearful nor con-
temptuous of the laymen, and both
doctors and laymen are unafraid of
the United States government.
At the outset, CNI-as the COM
mittee is called ocally-decided it
would not be an action" group
that is to say, it would take no posi-
tion for or against testing of nuclear
weapons, even though the sentiment
of the organizing spirits was clearly
and outspokenly against. The view
prevailed that what really was needed
was information. 1t was felt that too
many people-the politicians, the mil
itary and the oracles speaking ex
cathedra from the Atomic Energy
Commission-were taking decisive
attitudes on the basis of indecisive
information, or none.
This stand, useful in itself, also
served the practical purpose of broad
ening the base of support, with the
consequence that the chi leadership
now reflects a wide spectrum of
opinion.
But while persisting in its mon
action" policy, the committee during
it's first year waged such a valiant |
fight on the information front that
strontium-90 is now a household
word in st. Louis. On the average
of every other day, member of the
speakers table makes a talk on the
subject. The CNI's monthly bulle-
tins circulation has jumped from
500 to $500. And the committees
drive to collect $4,000 baby teeth,
to be analyzed for strontium-9O, got
headlines throughout the world press.
A few months ago, CNI's first
meeting took place at
the Union Avenue. Christian Church,
where the organization had been I
founded. Present was a cross-section s
of the medical and scientific elite of
the city, along with lawyers, minis ;
ters and other civic leaders. Morale ;
was high. There was evident a fine ;
rapport, an atmosphere of comrade- s
ship and understanding, between sci i
entists and laymen. One reason for I
his was that much had been accom- /
olished with little. I
DR.. Alfred S. Schwartz, assistant a
professor of clinical pediatrics at a
University School of
Medicine, the committees vice pres f
dent and treasurer, reported $5,077 t
lad been spent during the year, leav t
ng balance of $469. Membership il
vas more than 500. Tribute was paid j
o the women volunteer workers, tt
many of them the wives of physicians s.
nd scientists. a
Specifically, what had the commit il
ee done in its first year? There was
good deal besides the fact that it 81
ow had an office on the second floor Il
an old, converted red-brick house B
n West Pine Boulevard, with num- ir
er in the telephone book, constant m
= ringing telephone, and dedicated fl
taft secretary to answer phone and S
lail- Mrs. Edward C. Roberts, who tt
5arted as a part-time paid worker i'd
nd now is full-time volunteer.
1. A speakers bureau, consisting al
seventeen men and three women, fl
as been organized to offer scientists it:
) speakers to organizations in the BY
t. Louis area. The speakers are all a
ther M.D.s or Ph.D.s, capable of st
ealing with technical aspects of the Cl
llout controversy. Since last Octo- M
n, some seventy church, parent, la!
aternal and business groups have Ge
ard addresses. Three organizers of tiy
e ommittee-Barry Commoner, sta
ofessor botany at Washington Uni eif
rsity, DIR. Walter C. Bauer, instruc- me
: in surgical pathology at the uni Nh
-sity's School of Medicine, and John of