Atom Not Yet Harnessed For Peace

Northern Advocate, 30 March 1946, Page 5

Atom Not Yet Harnessed For Peace

(Rec. 10.0 a.m.) LONDON. March 28. Scientists have not yet solved the problem of harnessing atomic energy for peaceful purposes.

It is doubtful if achievements in the next 10 years will have widespread industrial application, said the Minister of Supply and Aircraft Production (Mr J. Wilmot) in the House of Commons.

"We are losing no time. We are mobilising the best brains. “Maybe we are in sight of the greatest industrial power revolution in the world's history."

The Minister was replying to questions on the Government’s atomic energy programme. He said the limit to what the country was spending was physical, not financial.

Britons had made most important contributions to American research, but so far the development had been carried out under the stimulus of war and therefore had led only to the atomic bomb.

The day of atomic power had not dawned for the motor car. EIGGEST PROBLEM

It would probably be a long time before atomic power was significant for the generation of electricity.

The Minister explained that one of the greatest difficulties was to find a way of drawing off the heat generated by atomic fission and converting that heat to power. Mr Wilmot told a questioner that America had not told Britain all aspects of "technical know-how." but valuable experience had been gained through projects financed by Canada.

He hoped that the cooperation with the United States established during the war would be continued. As much of Britain's resources as could possibly be made available would be devoted to this work. He added that Britain must take her place in the world economic revolution which the development of atomic power heralded. The Prime Minister was personally handling the planning. INTERNATIONAL CONTI?OL The State Department has released a plan for controlling the atomic bomb, says a Washington message.

The report recommends the creation of an international Atomic Development Authority (ADA) as sole producer of the world's fissionable materials which would be leased to science and industry.

The plan contemplates ultimately the handing over to ADA of the knowledge at present possessed exclusively by the United States and also the ownership of the Oakridge and Hanford plants in which atomic bombs are manufactured.

Ownership of all uranium mines and also all plants processing atomic energy material would be invested in ADA under a world agreement making national o'r private ownership illegal. Energy material would be denatured and thereby rendered unsuitable for bombs and would then be issued to secondary plants throughout the world for scientific, medicinal and industrial use.

ADA would conduct nuclear research and also retain the sole authority for carrying out research on atomic explosives. NO SECRETS The plan explains that large-scale plants would be necessary to make the denatured materials suitable for bombs and consequently construction activities could not be carried out without detection.

It is pointed out. however, that in spite of the experts' belief that denatured materials are unsuitable for bombs without complicated treatment, the situation might be changed by developments so far considered impossible.

“When the plan is operating fully Ihere will be no secrets about atomic energy,” the report concludes.

"We believe this is the firmest basis for security, because in the long-term view there cannot be international cooperation and control without the presupposition of international community knowledge."