U.S. MAY LIFT LID A LITTLE ON SECRETS OF ATOMIC WARFARE

Grey River Argus, 23 February 1949, Page 5

U.S. MAY LIFT LID A LITTLE ON SECRETS OF ATOMIC WARFARE

Need to Tell People of Defence Methods

WASHINGTON, Feb. 21

The United States Atomic Energy Commission was preparing detailed plans for the deience or \ America against atom homo attacK, said Mi Carrol Wilson, manager of the commission, to-dayr 'the commission was working in close co-operation with the national military estaolishment. Mr Wilson made this statement before the Joint Congressional Atomic Energy Committee. He said that part of the plan to place personnel trained in the use of Geiger counters at strategic points throughout the country (these counters are used to detect radio-activity). Mr Wilson said that the Atomic Energy Commission was having trouble in finding a way to tell Americans how to protect themselves against atom bombs without letting the whole world know the methods. It was difficult to determine how far to go in making information public.

He added that the commission was collaborating with the armed forces on ‘‘Radiation Facts,” a booklet which would be published soon. Representative Melvin Price (Democrat, Illinois), urged that the general report on the Bikini atom bomb tests be made public. He added: "The public ought to know something about the awfulness of this bomb and not regard it as just another weapon. If the Russian people, as well as the American people, are given the full facts about the destructive potential ol atom bombs, I believe a long step will be taken towards making sure that there will be not future war. Powerful military leaders, monopolising atomic information, can do more harm to our nation than any truth about the dangers of atomic destruction and radioactivity.”