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ee ee gt es emmy ee rere a ee te rn a EN NT ee AT eee ee ) 1 . Radiation and the Race By ALICE FRANKLIN BRYANT Ages ago there was much radiation on the earth and no life, As time went on radiation declined and first low forms of life and then higher ones developed—-and these latter are more easily dam- aged by it than the former. ; An atomic war would speedily reverse the low- ering of radiation Jevels which has made our life possible on this planet—read about this in On the Beach by Nevil Shute. Even our weapons- testing has made a beginning on such a reversel. We have received repeated assurances that all is well, and that there is really no danger from nuclear tests; but disbelief in regard to these as- surances has been increasing for several reasons. One is that they come from people who are more interested in weapons production than in human health. In some cases, also, nuclear activities enhance their prospects for wealth and prestige. For example, Dr. Edward Teller has been receiving— in addition to his salary—fees from private in- dustry for the last five years, according to Drew Pearson’s column of May 14, 1959. ‘“Fhese fees ran as high as $25,000 from General Dynamics in one year, $22,000 in another.” Another fact to take into consideration is that practically all of those who are reassuring us are either physicists or non-scientists, Consequently, they are not in an avthoritative position to speak on the biological effects of fallout. Geneticists and others versed in biology are warning us — but unfortunately their statements usually go un- published or are hidden in small items on inside pages. ‘ Can We Trust the AEC? The record of our Atomic Energy Commission does not inspire confidence. It has repeatedly made misicading and false statements, many of which are discussed in Chapter 6 of Dr. Linus Pauling’s No More War, Its most embarrassing falsehood was the report that its “tiny bomb,” Rainier, exploded Sept. 19, 1957, under a mountain could be detected for a distance of only 250 miles. It used this alleged fact to argue against stopping the bom tests, on the ground that a test bai would be dificult to monitor. Actually, the explosion was delected throughout most of the United Statcs and even 2,300 sniles away in Alaska. And seismulogists can distinguish between earthquakes and man- made explosions,