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IN REPLY REFER TO: ATOMIC ENERGY COMMISSION A special meeting o f the Advisory Committee for Biology and MecUcine was held on Thursday, October 20, 1949, at which the main considerations were Civil Defense Planning and the program o f the Atomic Bomb Casualty exception ofits Chairman, Dr. Alan Gregg, All of the members of the Committee were present with the We were informed of recent dePelopments i n Civil Defense Planning and of the Commission's approval o f the program submitted by the Division of Biology and Medicine. of responsibility within the government and recognize the need for further consideration o f the problem. Security Resources Board i s directing its major attention to manpower mobilization, critical. su q lies and other problems o f resonrcee. We are concerned as t o the lack of definition It i s apparent that the National I have apgointed a subcommittee consisting of Dr. Joseph T. Wearn, them t o prepare a statement concerning the biological, medical and health physics problems which apFrqpriately a r e the Commission' 8 responsibility i n Civil Defense. YOU will recall that at our rceeting on September 1949, Dr. Bowers reported on his visit to the Atomic Bonb Casualty Comission i n Japan. This report, as well as material subsequently furnished by the National Research Council, have raised severs1 q?lestions inour minds. wonder i f there i s not too much emphasis on research and too little attention to screening the survivors for sequelae of the exglosions. In view ofthe research advances that have been made since the in it ie s there i s need for re-orientation. sed in which relatively little information has
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"The Adviscry Committee f o r Biology aEd Medicine urgently recommends that the Wational Resezrcfi Council be requested t o appraise the present s tz tus of the Atomic Bomb Uasudtj. Commission program, appraise the prospective value o f future work, t o recommend such @b,.pfications as may be desirable i n view o f changed conditions einqe the start of the program, and t o recornmend a time schedille*f"& the progran i n order that the Atonic Energy Conmission nay discharge its responsibil i ties in this area." I n view of the above recommendation i t was the sense of the Committee that it was desirable t o continue i n abeyance construction at Hure pending a report from the National Research Council on the program. The Committee considered the g-oblen relating to the clearance of personnel engaged on unclassified research contracts. the unique public and congressional relations problens faced by the Atonic Energy Commission in its activities in unclassified areas and they agreed that the Conmission was right i n pr5nclple inits reluctance t o see clearance and investigations procedures extended t o individuals working i n unclassified fields. They were concerned with the delineation o f secret and non-secret ihta and were o f the opinion that fundamental research i n the fields of biology and medicine related t o atomic energy must be free from restraints. It is our understanding that the Erect or of the Division o f Biolo&y and Medicine i s preparing a staff paper which reflects some of the views o f the Committee for submission t o the Commission on the above The next meeting of the Advisory Committee for Bio1o.g and Medicine will be held at O a k Ridge Operations Office on November 11 and 12, 1949. Vice-Chaiman, Advisory Comit tee f o r Biology and Medicine
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