ATOMIC ENERGY

Greymouth Evening Star, 6 February 1947, Page 8

ATOMIC ENERGY

COST OF PRODUCTION REDUCED AMERICAN EXPENDITURE ' WASHINGTON, Feb. 4. Dr. J. H. RUsh, an.atomic scientist at Oakridge during the war and secretary of the. Federation of American Scientists, in an interview, said that although the United' States spent 2,000,000,000 dollars on the development of atomic bombs, other nations could now make them with ah initial outlay of not more than 500,000,000 dollars. This huge expenditure by the United States was necessary, but a way had been found to obtain plur toriium by a process which eliminates certain costly- methods. Consequently it would be unwise to imagine that high cost would- act as a bar against other nations engaging in atomic bomb production. . Need Never Have Been Built. Dr. Rush-said that although the Oakridge plant cost 900,000,000 dollars, the plutonium project at Hanford, Washington State cost only 362,000,000 dollars, while the bomb laboratory at Los. Alamos, which developed both plutonium and uranium bombs, cost only 60,000,000 dollars. He added: “We know now that the ; Oakridge plant need never have been buiff-” ■ , x xu Dr. Rush emphasised that tne United States produced atomic explosives by four separate and independent methods as well as by a fifth method which was abandoned because it was less efficient than the others. • ‘ In Ottawa the Minister of Reconstruction, Mr.' C. D. Howe,, informed the Canadian House of Commons that Mr. Bernard Baruch, a former member of the United States Atomic Energy Committee, had telegraphed him saying that, although he (Mr. Baruch), in making a statement to the United States Senate >Atomic Energy Committee on February 3, had referred to the 1946 spy investigation in Canada as a matter of concern to both countries, he had not made any reflection on the Dominion. Distorted Version. The Canadian Minister of External ; Affairs, Mr.. Louis St. Laurent, told the House that the Canadian Em--1 bassy in Washington had reported ’ that the transcript of Mr. Baruch s ! evidence quoted him merely as saying in one sentence that Canada had ; made some recent discoveries;in ’ plutonium which concerned him . deeply. Mr. St. Laurent said ttie embassy report noted that M Baruch spoke in. a low voice and e Dressed the opinion that this plight have been the cause of the distorted. 1 version of his testimony. 1 Canada’s atomic energy plant at 5 Chalk river, where plutoniimi is f being made, is also developed f into a research centre where s .o^ e p lists from Empire universities wiU be . instructed in atomic work and radio " activity. • .