PEACEFUL USES OF ATOM

Press, Volume XCII, Issue 27750, 30 August 1955, Page 8

PEACEFUL USES OF ATOM

Training Workers For

Future (N.Z Press Association—Copyright)

<Rec. 8 p.m.) WASHINGTON. Aug. 28. Mr Lewis L. Strauss, chairman of the United States Atomic Energy Commission, said today that the United States was well ahead of the Soviet Union in finding peaceful uses of atomic energy. But unless the United States did something to develop the engineers, technicians, and scientists reouired for its programme, the Soviet Union might take the lead within a generation. Mr Strauss said when interviewed on a television show. United States atomic knowledge was greater than the Soviet Union s in most fields, but he knew of at least one field in which the Soviet Union was ahead—the atomic acceleration programme, said Mr Strauss. He said that they had more and larger accelerators and that this was significant in that it was the type of programme that was designed to attract students. The atomic accelerators, such as cyclotrons, are used in the basic studies of the atom. Mr Strauss said the commission had in the last two years increased by more than 1000 per cent, the money and by 1000 per cent, the manpower devoted to harnessing thermonuclear power for peaceful uses. Asked if he favoured inviting Russians to visit United States atomic centres, on tours similar to the tours the British permitted of their installations. Mr Strauss replied that he favoured it under certain circumstances, but considered such an invitation “premature now.” He said it might wait until after the October Big Four conference in Geneva.