◆ SpookStack

we weet ee eet ie cipmanne e 2 Lack of space prevents a discussion here of the Administration's misleading stalements made last January—based on AEC reporting—on the de- tection of underground tests. (See, in the Bulletin of American Scientists, Dr, Jay Orear’s “How Feasible 3s a Test Ban?” March, )959, “Detec- tion of Nuctear Weapons Testing.” March, 1958 —also of interest, a review of Dr. Teller’s Our Nuclear Future, June, 1958.) The President’s scientific advisers are much more optimistic about detecting tests than the AEC, but this has not been revealed to the genera) public. The Pentagon has joined with the AEC in efforts to minimize fallout damage and magnify the difficulties of inspection. Senator Hubert Humphrey, speaking in the Senate, June 4, of this year, said he believed there was “a concerted effort in Washington—I imagine in the Defense Establishment itself—to get the American people to believe that it is not possible to control these weapons.” A few days earlier (May 31, on ABC TV net- work) Senator Clinton P. Anderson said that the real question was not whether a test ban was feasible, but whether we wanted one or preferred “to find places on which we can argue and dispute.” Meee Experts Confess Ignorance One reason for discounting the reassuring state- ments is that they are made from ignorance. The maximum permissible weekly dose set for radia- tion workers by the Naticial Committee on Radia- tion Protection has gone down as follows: 1935, 5 Roentgens; 1946, .3 Roentgens; 1957, .096 Roentgens. There is no reason to believe that our scientists have yet allained an approximation of knowledge concerning radiation dangers. Congressman Chet Holificld, who conducted hearings on radiation in May and June of 1957 wrote: “As a layman I was somewhat shocked to find out how much the experts admitted they did not know about the long-term effects of radiation. In fact, when [ thought aver how little is known for surc, } wandered how some officials of the government could he so positive that bomb-tests were so safe... “The Atomic Energy Commission has continu- ally given out assurances that we have nothing to worry about and yet we find, using testimony from their own experts, Ubat there is reason lo worry.”