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Machine-read from the scan, so expect some errors. Lines that couldn’t be read are left out.
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Advj sory Cornri tte e for Bi ~ ' l ~ g y5c lledicinc 31he eighteenth meeting ofthe Advisory Committee for Biology and Medicine was held on October 20, 1949 at Dr,Alan Greg was unable 'GO be present Atomic EnermLoml.ss4 on Ilr, De E, Lille n thal Mro John A. Derry order of' 'business presented tothe Coinmittee by the
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Vi.cs Chzirmxrn VES the reading o f the minutes o f .the meeting held at t h e Atom'lc Sriergy 2omrnission, Whrhington, D. C,, on September 10, 1949. The minutes were apnroved unanimously on a motion made Civil Defense lko Harry IJ, Borman summsrized the staff pzper li Civil Defense Activities of the A X " (171/7) wherein the recommendations of the Advisory Co.mittee for Biologjr and Medicine a d the Division of Biology and l'ledicine relating to Civil I!efense.have been apyroved by t h e Commission, This staff Faper included the. revised roport as prepared by Mr. B o m a n on "The City of Washington and ESI Aiiomic Bomb AttackGe Mre Bema reported on the conference held i n Chicago o n October 1 2 on stockplllng and use by U C o f monitoring hst rv n ents in the event o f an a x ident Operations t o desi.gnate a Monitoring Director who will orgslnize a number of monitoring teams for interim monitoring before the establishment ofa civil defecse organj zation.
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Hr, Deny ren or ted that the Ccmission i s having organized at tis major installations disaster teams skLlled i n the use o f detection inst,.ments who wo*ild be availakle i n the event o f an accident with-- i n the Commission fac ill ties, The'D&p$y Director summarized a discussion he had held witi Dr, Borvin C. Xiefer who i s on loan t o the National Security Resources Board from the U. S, Public Eealth Service, Dr, Kiefer i s head o f the Health Besources Division of the Civil Defense tothe C.omittee that the NSEB is directing its major attent.ion t o manpower mobiiization, critic dl supplies arid other problems of resourscs, ad that in general it was anticipated that the AEC would assume the najor role in planning against atomic at back, It was the senee ofthe Committee that6 firm statement should be balm up for transmittal tothe Coxmission stating uhat should not accqt responsibility for general defense activities and that its responsibility should be limited to the pro ~ isio nof -faci;ual information concerning the 'unique effects of atomic energy upon personnel and
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l h = Der1.y reported that the Ccmnissi.on i s having organized at i-Ls major .instal.lations disaster teams skilled i n the use o f detection instimen’ts who w.o!;ld be available i n t h e event of an accident with-- ‘The Deputy Dire- summarized a discussion he had held icitki beBorqin- C. Kiefer who i s on loan t o the National Security Resources Board from the U. S, Tublic Eealth Serviceo Health Resources Division of the Civil Defense Planning Program withfn the NSB. f.n .t.he Gnmmlttee that the NSm is directing its major bili zation, critical. supplies sources, ar-d that i n general the A 3 C would assume the rn up for transmittal tothe
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Conmi ssi on be helpful t o the Conrnissioners i n the preparation of' a report t o the President on the >rogran, I n view o f these discussions on Gid.1 Defense Planning ar,d-in order to correlate the views ofthe Committee, th6''Vilx4&airman aypointed a subcommittee consisting of Dra Joseph f a Vearn, Chairman, Dr. asked t o prepare a statement concerning the biological, medical and health physics problems Ghich appropriately are the Comnission' s responsibility i n Civil Defense Planlning for stn4v at the meeting t o be held at Oak 2idge on November 12, 1949. continued from the previous meeting their discussion on the apjmaisal of the current program of the Atomic Bornb Casualty Commission. Dr, Ifearn and 3r, Bowers reported on a meeting ofthe Committee on Atomic Casualties of the National Research Council, which they attended on October 17, m e Committee was concerned with the emphasis that is being placed on research \ d th too little
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attention 'bei.ng given t o screening the survivors for seqcelae o f the explosions. 'In view of the research adv,ulce that had been made since the initiation of the progran, it was their opini.on that there is probably a need for re-orientation, Dr, 'Bot463q presented the present and future construction prokran at ziroshlma, Eure and Nagasakf and advised the Committee that pending their recmmenda%ions as to future construction, the m.C had been notified to withhold construction of ala%or a to q hil ding at Kure costing $670,000. Dr. Ifarren pointed out that; i n April 1948, the Division o f Biology and ldedicine had approved the construction of laboratories at the three sites, HiroshiDa, Kure and Bagasnki at R total cost of construction progran will cost over $3,000,000, It is anticipated that the present I n view o f this vast increase I n cost of' construction and the proposed expansion of the overall program, other than had been given app oval by the AXC, i t vas the sense of t h e Connittee that the Chairman o f the NIiC 'should be advlscd of their feelings on the future progran.
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$herefore, i t vas unanimously approned tb.t the following stztement aho ~ l dbe forwarded t o the Chairman of the NRC by the General Manager. "The Advisory Committee for Biology and Medicine urgently recommends that the National Research Council be requested t o appraise the present status of the Atomic Bomb Casualty Commissfon program, apyraise the pro q ect ive value of"%utq,e work, t o recommend such modificxtions a-ay be desirable i n view of changed conditions since the start o f the program, andto reconmend a time schedule for the program i n order that the Atomic Energy Commission m%v discharge its responsibilities in this area on %urthermore, i n view of this recomendztion, h t was the sense of the Committee that it was desirable t o continue i n abeyance construction at Kure pending a report from the NIiC on the program, Release 5f Paper on kareomgcin. Dr. Warren presented Effect of Aureomycin and Antibiotics on Whole Body Irradiation " and requested the advice of the Committee as toits publication. opinion of the Committee that it would b e undesirable t o release a report on unclassified work which had been supported by the AEC to the press It was t h e unanimous
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Uucl assi fi e d before it had been pu3lished ina scien.LlfIc journal. G>;-ezz.k~iceo f Personnel on Unclasslfied Research relating to the clearance o f Dersonnel engaged on ui class if i ed research contracts,. !mer recognized the unique pu3lic and congressional relations its activities in unclassified areas and they agreed The Committee considered the problem that the Commission vas right in principle in ita re luc t ace to see clearance and investigations procedures extended t o individuals working i n unclassified fields, They were concerned with the delineation o f aecret and non-secret data and were o f the opinion that fundamental research i n the fields of biology and medicine related to atomic energy must be free from restraints. It was the sense of the Committee that t h e following statement should be o f record inthe minutes which reflects the feelings of the Committee on the subject, Xediclne h m noted the statement i n the hearings on the appropriatlon that athe Commtssi.on itself does not want to take responsl'bility f o r determining what was
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secret and vhat wasn't szcret data. " This ion mitt ee has zlq-rays considered that one of its major res ? on sib j li ties is to develop a csrnpi*ehensive program for research on the peacetime zpplicz'cions o f atomic energy i n the fields of ' Oi ology, 'biophysics, and medfcine, Xaturally this prcgram requires the delinetition o f secret and non-secret data. Toyrogrcss, fundamental research i n the fields 'd$,;bl,oLogy and medicine related to atomic Isolated facts usnally me a little, and only when afree exchange of information is actively fostered can that infornation find fruitful use. Por example, &sic studies over a number of pars, by chemists, physiologists and clinicians, on m a ' s needs for Salk and vater,for plasma proteins ad red blood cells ledto the present day saving o f lives both on the battlefield and inthe hosFitzl. Enforced secrecy in any one of these investigations wuld have been contrary t o the public interest, skills required in the manifold - fields of modern research .inevitably reqrrire a hlgh degree of concentrated special1e a t ion; conseqnently ,free Interchange o f information I s imperative for be free from restraints. The Enowledge and technical Applied research, on the o.ther hand, may be either secret o r non-secret, It may be secret i n two senses; applied research that deals directly with machinery o r processes that must be kept secret, or qp l fed research which by its naiure indicates special interest in a given fleld of secr3.t work. If neither of these aspects i s involved, there is no need for secrecy, and the iqos5tion of security measures where they are not directly agplicable i s harmIt is clearly possi-ble arid highly desirable t o apply valid scientific criteria for the differentiation of non-secret from secret; fields of research and thus t o stlmalate the free development o f fundamental knowledge upon which progress i n secret and a plied fields is foilndeb"
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---Chal.2 ---R-Lvzr, Cr, tfarrcn rep or led on the conference that he preside5 over Lt Chalk Rivere Ontario, Chnada. Representatives ofthe Uni Led States, the United Kingdcm and Canada met for the purpose o f estabzishing an agreement as t o permissible exposure to extend ?%diation and to internal m dio active The Com mi be was interested in learning that the conferees had attained agreement on tclerances for radium, pluto u im, thori*m, p3lonium and styontiurn. ~greementwas also reached on a . formula for relating the amount of radioactive waste material which mw b e dissemi.nated ina given area with the population density of theme a, Ofher ~ ust ness. The next meeCing of the Bdvisory Ccrnmittec for Biology md Medicine is schednled t o be held at Oak RlQe Operations Office on November