Letters to He's Off to Oak Ridge DEAR SIR:
It was somewhat disturbing t o have Mr. Volk tell me (C&EN, June 7 ) within a week of my accepting a position a t one of the atomic energy plants, t h a t I should agree to oppose "the use of scientific talent for destructive purposes." It is my impression that Hitler was fairly explicit in outlining his plans in "Mein Kampf," that we ignored the warn ing, and that our military victory i n the recent conflict was a near thing because of our lack of preparedness. The Com munists have also been very helpful in explaining their goal of world revolution. Are we to ignore this warning also? I t appears that our democracy, b y its very nature, is somewhat sluggish i n preparing for war on the large scale necessary for victory- One method of preparing, how ever, is to maintain unquestioned tech nological superiority. I am willing and anxious to contribute to that effort. I suggest that all scientists who would be conscientious objectors in time of war should also refuse to use their talents in time of peace to prepare for war, but that all those who would contribute to winning a war if it were t o happen, should also be willing now to contribute to t h e prepara tions for such a conflict. I am not a warmonger; I a m a lover of peace, b u t some things are worth fight ing for, and retaining our intellectual and spiritual freedom is among them. If we are willing to fight for these freedoms, should we not b e willing to make a few preparations in order to avoid losing the fight? I heartily agree with Mr. Volk t h a t we should, as rational human beings, earn estly support all efforts t o achieve inter national sanity and prevent war. Since the United States will certainly not start a war itself, it is also possible that the possession of clear-cut military superiority will deter those who would start it. Let us a t least make sure that, if war does come, wre are t h e victors. I know not what course others may take, but a s for me, I'm off to Oak Ridge. J . DAVID JUSTICE
Bethlehem, Pa. DEAR SIR:
Many who take the negative stand of refusing to apply their scientific talents for destructive purposes do so because of their enthusiasm for the positive program of seeking world government. Scientists recognize t h a t scientific re ports should not be falsified to aid govern ment propaganda and t h a t adherence to truth is paramount t o patriotism. Simi larly, scientists should recognize t h a t no individual should be expected to act conVOLUME
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the Editor trary to his conscience and that adherence to individual integrity is of tho same para mount importance as the avoidance of premeditated falsehoods in a scientific journal. Each individual has a conscience requir ing him to draw the line somewhere. There will be at least a few true to their conscience in refusing to massacre t h e population of Russia, even though Wash ington provides a logical argument based upon the substantially irrefutable evidence t h a t Russia's foreign poUcy has recently been worse than America's. But in 1948, degrees of rottenness of power politics a r e irrelevant when Avar is the enemy, when it is the system of reliance on national militarism which is the primary evil, and when the possibilities of exploring t h e feasibility of some form of international federation have not been exhausted. N o t everyone will draw the line at the same point, but in the midst of such flagrant evil, let all scientists be vigorous and vigi lant in defending against misunderstand ing the individual who attempts to be true to his conscience. Similar refusals have previously in fluenced warfare. If enough scientists have conscientious scruples against push button warfare it may be a factor in trans ferring international disputes to the realm of courts and legislatures.'
Whether refusal to ^3ugagt3 in destructive science is immediately politically effective is dependent partly uponthte absolute and relative number of scientists who join the strike. However, evesii if onsiy a few dozen strike, it is almost certain to- have a signifi cant sociological bene-fit be&auseof the re ligious transformation whieh such action is likely to stimulate, Whether political reasoning, economic arguments, o r what first prompts the refusal t o destroy, it is likely to lead to a rethinsJdng of one's philosophy and thus t o a recognition of the spiritual crisis of our ago, -smd thus to a way of life more like that o f tho religious saints who have been, concerned with the spirit of reconciliation throughout the centuries.
J O H N ΕΛΥΒΑΝΚ
Lafayette, Ind. Not Really DEAKSIB:
Are the Russians r-eally spending $400 billion for atomic research a^-s you have re ported in C&EN, M a y 24? S_ M. HOUSTON
Columbus, Ohio DEAR S I R :
Four hundred billion «dollars hay," even in Russia.
"ain't
CEZCILL. BROWN
Baton Rouge, La. EDITOR'S N O T E : I n translating into billions our British correspondent's S4,0CO smillion, given aapproximately cquivalenx to tbae 51,400 million roubles which Russia is re;ported t o have allocated for atomic and related researcba in 1944, an in sufficient number of z e r o s wassfcruckoff.
From the Editor's Desk... Labor-Management Relations One of the purposes of this department is to point out articles, booklets, and speeches that we feel will contribute t o sound thinking by chemists, chemical en gineers, and chemical executives. In this spirit we recommend an address by John R. Bangs, director of industrial and per sonnel relations of the Budd Co., Phila delphia, Pa., and James W. Townsend, personnel manager of t h a t company's Red Lion plant, entitled "The Implications for Executives in the 1947 Labor-Man agement Relations Act," and delivered last December at the sixty-eighth annual meeting of the American Society of Me chanical Engineers in Atlantic City. R e prints are available from the Budd Co. Delegates Abroad W. Albert Noyes, Jr., chairman of t h e division of chemistry and chemical tech nology of the National Research Council, has requested a favor which we are de lighted to grant. The Division of Chem istry and Chemical Technology would like to have chemists and chemical engineers who plan trips to other countries inform the division a s to the dates of their travel
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and provide a list o f the countries they expect to visit. Sueh individuals could be asked to serve as delegare of the Na tional Research Council if thieir visits coin cide with chemical meetings^ abroad. Since Alden H. Emery, Executive Secre tary of the AMERICAN" CHMSTICAL SOCIETY,
is also vice chairman, of tine Division of Chemistry and Chemical Toennology of the National Research Comncil, tMie information furnished the council woulci also provide the Society with naones fzrom which it could designate official representatives. Here is a very practical my=r of promoting international good will and mnderstanding. The address of the council i*s 2101 Consti tution Ave., Washington 25^ D. 0.
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