Letter: Plowshare Program and Biology and Medicine Program of the Atomic Energy Commission

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I UNIVERS l TY OF CALIFbRNIA SAN FRANCISCO MEDI AL CENTER I refer to rrly letter of April 7, 1967, concerning the attempt by Chairman Glenn Seaborg and the Lawrence Radiation Laboratory of t h e University of California to suppress a n open discussion of the failure of the Lawrence Radiation Iaboratory to assess the number of casualties that the population of Los Angales would suffer from the low-level radiation effects of the 1.7 me gaton Carry411 nuclear cratering blast, which was readied during t h o year 1965 hy ttie Lawrence Radiation Laboratory with the approval of Governor Brown for the purposes of the Santa Fe Railway System. m E ARCHlVES I refer to the reply, dated N,w s, 1967, written on behalf of the Plowshare Program and t h e Biology and Medicine Bogram of the Atomic Energy Commission. It i s evident from his letter that Dr. English i s badly informed on several crucially important issues concerning the Plowshare Program and tho Biology and Medicine Program for which h e is directly responsiblo. to We attention of the Atomic Energy Commissioners. Iwish, therefore, to bring these issues 9r. English is apparently unaware of the fact that a basic part of the fission of the Division of Rio low and Medicine of the Lawrence Radiation Laboratory isto provide estimates of the number of casualties Plowshare nuclear blasts. not seem t o know that there ims not a single scientist in the Division of Biology and Medicine who was qualified to give a n opinion on the extent of the genetic, somatic and neural damage that the population would sustain from low-level. radiation generated by the Carry-All population will sustain from low-level radiation effects of In spite of this fact, Dr. English does Dr. English seems unaware of the f a c t that the chief advisers t o the Atomic Energy Commissioners on the low-level radiation hazards of the Plowshare Prograrn areDr.John W. Cofman, Associate Director of the Lawrence Radiation Laboratory, and D r , Bernard Shore, Director of the Division of Biology and Medicine of the Lawrence Radiation Laboratory. Theso advisers communicated their ah ice on the hazards of the 1.7 megaton Carry - All nuclear cratering blast to the Advisory Committeo on Bio loa and Medicine and t h e Advisory Committee on the Plowshare Program. these Advisory Committees make thu ir report a directly to the Atomic Energy Commissioners, it isnot generally known that the advice of Dr. Oofman and Dr. Shore on the hazard.? of tho Cni-ry-1-11 nuclear blast has never been documented or scientifically verified.

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SAN FRANCISCO MEDICAL CENTER Director of u70 Lawrence Pkidintion Laboratory, approved the readying of the 1.7 megaton Carry411 nuclear cratering blast during the year 1965 on the basis of advice oup$mlto him by Dr. Oofman and Dr. Shore. No position papers establishing the safety of the Carry-All blast were prepared by Dr. Gofman and T)r. Shore. know that the Carry-All blast was known t o be hazardous. In spite of this fact, Dr. McMillan did not hesitate OD February 1, 1966, t0 make the following statement: In fact,Dr. English does not seem t0 111 have great trust in +AIS abi li ky and inhg rit y of nr. John W. made regarding radiation safety has taken proper account of the limitations of present information, and the program of his Dividon is devoted t o the obtaining of further information,'t To the best of tny I:nowladge, svery statement that he ha6 DOE ARCHIVESD r . English seems unaware of the fact that on February 15, 1965, Dr. Gofman, knowing that the Carry-All nuclear blast was hazardous, triad to justify the deformities, malformations, and abnormalities that future generations of children would suffer from the low-level radiation of the CarryiAll nuclear blast by drawing a parallel with the thalidomide disaster : ttThalidondde is clearly a tragedy. gation is, I believe, a far greater NO pharmacologic invest i - A chief adviser t o the Atomic Energy Commission apparently did not understand that the issue is not between hazardous research and no research a t all, but between--research with safeguards and research Tne reactying of the 1.7 mspnton Carry - All nuclear cratering blast was brought to an abrupt halt in s a rly 1966, neither the Lawrence Radiation Laboratory, nor the State of California, nor the Atomic Energy Commission will state the reasons which led to the postponement of the Carry - All blast, even though its feasibility had been. established i n 1963, and it would have served t h e purposes of the Santa Fe Railway System. Up tothe present time, Up to the present time, Mr. E. S , Marsh, Chairman of the Board and Chief Ekecutive Officer of the Santa Fe Railway System, h a s remained mute concerning the grounds for his confidence inthe safety of the Carry - All nuclear blast, which in fact wa8 known to be hazardous.

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' UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA SAN FRANCISCO MEDICAL CENTER The Atomic Energy Commissioners - 3 - M a y 10, 1967 Dr. Gene A,Blanc,the Coordinator of the Office of Atomic Enargy Development and Radiation Protection of tho State of California, on PSay 2, 1967 admitted that he does not possoss a documontation -t hat would establish the safety of the Carry - A 1-7-3nuc oar blast. -Dr, Rlanc is also unable t o name any recognized low-level radLation authorities other than Dr. John W. Oofman t o support the irrosponsible position that he took with respect to the hazards of the Carry - All blast. "tie Atomic Energy Commission! s chief experts on low-level radiation hazards, Dr, Gofman and Dr. Shore,\iave remained mute on these extremely ssrious issues f o r more than one year. DOE AFiCHlVES-i Dr. English i s oblivious of tho fact, that Dr. Gofman and Dr. Shore are the personal' appointees of W, Glenn Seaborg, Chairman o f the Atomic attempt by the Lawrence Radiatior Laboratory, the University of California, the State of California, and the IJtiited States A$omic Energy Coomission to Buppress an open discussion 01 t h o low-level radiation hazards of the Plowshare nuclear blasts. ih.. English does not recognize his own letter of May 5, 1967, as a thin tissue of evasion by the Atomic CnePgy Comissioners. I n this connection, I bring tho follomne; facts t o the attention of the Atomic Energy Commissioners. On Tebruary h, 1966, Dr. Sidney Fernbach, Head of t h e Theoretical Division of the Lawrence Radiation Laboratory, sought t o dissuade me from seeking an impartial review of the scientific basis of the Lawrence Radiation Laboratory's policies on the low-love1 radiation hazards of the Plows\iare Program for the following reasons: Dr, En&i.sh cloos not know about t h e continuing (i) The demand foran independent review of tho radiation hazards of the Plowshare Progran was bound to fail in the face of the active opposition of the Atomic Energy Somission, (ti) The Directors of the Lawrence Radiation Laboratory would counteract a public discussion of the Laboratory's failure t o undertake intensive research on tho degree of damage that the population would sustafn from low-level radiation . emanating from Plowshare nuclear blasts by maintaining a A s the Atomic. Energy Commissioners are aware, up to the present time not a single responsible individual inthe administration of the Stab of California, inthe United States Atomic Energy Comission, i n the University o f California, or in the Lawrence Radiation Laboratory . has made a single public gesture in order to investigate the matters raised in my pst it ions to tho Board af iiegents and i n my letters to Governor Brown and t h e Atomic Energy Comission.

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ShN FRANCXSCO MEDICAL CENTER The Atomic Energy Commirsionors " h - M a y 10, 1967 The events of the past year serve t c confirm the statement that I made in a letter to Oovernor Brown, dated February 25, 1966: "Or. McMillan's inadequate roply to nry memarandurn of January 21, 1966, -and his long delay in answering QY letter of February 5, 1966, make it doubtful that the Biomedical , Division of the Lawrence ltadiation Laboratory actually has the status of a n independent, research group. believe that the issue of tlie effects of low-level radiation and policy recommendations on the feasibility of nuclear blasts under the Plowshare Program can be safely left in the hands of the Biomedical E vlsi on of the Lawrence Radiation Laboratory, where even a somblance of scientific autonomy cannot be clearly .~ The documentation that not set up t o provide has developed during the past year shows that that the Division of Biology and Medicine wa8 I iS subject to grave doubt, r&E ARCHIVES I The concentration of administrative control of both the Plowshare Program and the Biology and Iiedicine Program of the Atomic Energy Commission i n the hands of Dr. S. Q. English constitutes a radiation It is now essential that an aiitonomous Nuclear fhzards Commission, completaly separate from the control of tho Atomic Energy Commission, should be established by t h e Congress to insure t h e safety of tho blasts and from nuclear power plants. Contrary to the unsupported assertion of Dr. Englieli, I submit that the irresponsible action of the Lawrence Radiation Laboratory i n readying the 1,7 megaton Carry - All nuclear cratering blast during the year 1965 is a deli borat e contravantion of Section 3d Energy Act of 195b, since the C a r r y - A l l blast was known to be hazardous. I further submit that this contravention of Section 3d involved the deliberate and active collusion of nummous officials in the Atomic hazard of the first magnitude for the population of the United States. I population from low-level I*adiation emanating from Plowshare nuclear I Acting Professor of Copy t o Preaident Lyndon I3. Johnson