The Key West Citizen Newspaper, June 16, 1954, Page 8

Fellow Scientists Voice Conflicting Views On The Reliability Of Doctor Oppenheimer By CHARLES F, BARRETT ‘WASHINGTON (#—The man cre- dited by many atomic scientists with unlocking the door to the hy- drogen bomb says he would feel safer if Dr. J. Robert Oppenheimer did not have custody of the na- tion’s vital secrets. The scientist is Dr. Edward Tell- er, 46-year-old University of Cal- ifornia professor, said by Oppen- heimer himself to have been the “principal inventor” of the fearful H-bomb. But even as Dr. Teller expressed sotne reservations about Oppen- heimer, father of the atomic bomb during World War IJ, many of the key men who worked shoulder to shoulder with him in top secret projects rallied to Oppenheimer’s defense, saying he was a man of complete loyalty, integrity and de- votion to his country. On the other side of the picture, William L: Borden, former execu- tive secretary of the Senate-House Atomic Energy committee, describ- ed Oppenheimer as “more prob- ably than not an agent of the So- viet Union.” Teller said he regarded Oppen- heimer as loyal, but said “I would like to see the vital interests of this country in hands which I un- derstand better, and therefore trust more.” All this conflicting testimony— and a backstage account of the mo- mentous, tortuous development of the H-bomb—was disclosed in the release of the transcript of hearings before a special security board of the Atomic Energy Commission. The board ruled on May 27 that Oppenheimer was a loyal American and a discreet one. But, in a 2-1 split, it said the famed physicist with the crew haircut was a se- curity risk—not entitled any more to access to the atomic information he helped store up for 10 years. Oppenheimer and his attorneys have appealed to the full AEC to overturn this finding. The commis- sion promised a decision this month. The half-million words of testi-| to mony from 40 witnesses ran through the gamut of charges that Oppenheimer had been a contribu- tor and fellow traveller with Com- munist causes until 1942, that he lied to Army intelligence officers investigating Russian atomic espi- onage in 1942 and that. he opposed an all-out effort to develop the H- bomb as late as 1949. All this was freely conceded by imer, who said he had made mistakes in the past and had once been an “‘idiot,” but carefully guarded the host of secrets “I have had . ,. in my head a long time.” And a virtual roll call of former AEC commissioners and top atom- 10,000 MILE Guaranty on USED CARS with BPD” E Carlite fi Guaranty a EY Nagas, NAVARRO, Inc. 601 Duval St. Tel. 2-7041 “Don’t worry, Mr. Bill Col- lector . . . we just got a loan from CITY LOAN COM- PANY.” Key West 2-5681 524 Southard St. ic scientists backed up former AEC Chairman Gordon Dean, who de- scribed Oppenheimer as one of the few men who can completely dem- onstrate his loyalty to his country “by his performance ... a man of complete integrity ... a very devoted man to his country” Aside from Oppenheimer and his wife, there were 38 witnesses At- torneys for Oppenheimer said 25 of them voiced no doubts at all about him. The most revealing new testi- mony was the inside version from Dean and other scientists and offi- cials of the pulling and hauling in secret over whether to launch a big H-bomb effort after the Rus- sians exploded an atomic bomb in the fall of 1949, and what -hap- pened to that effort. They called the H-bomb “The Super” and “The Gadget.” The picture unfolded was that even after former President Tru- man ordered the H-bomb project in January 1950, for more than a year the program was stalled and Prospects were dismal. “We never saw anything that Teally had a chance” of producing a workable bomb, Dean testified, until he called all top scientists to- gether at a meeting at Princeton, N.J., in June 1951. Oppenheimer and several other scientists agreed that original premises about how to build an H-bomb had collapsed and the scientists were worried that the presidential directive could not be carried out. Dr. J. W. Alvarez, University of California scientist, \said Oppen- heimer told a Pentagon meeting al- most a year after the Truman di- rective ‘that the H-bomb. project “will die 2 natural death” after Pacific tests planned for 1951 “fail.” He quoted Oppenheimer as saying that would be “the natural time to chop the hydrogen bomb Program off.” Then, dramatically, in the spring of 1951, Dr. Teller made what was described as a “brilliant discov- ery” and brought this idea to the desperate June meeting at Prince- mn. : After two days, Dean said, ev- erybody was convinced the project at last was on the right track and Oppenheimer himself was “enthu- siastic ... almost thrilled.” “That is when it begar to roll and it rolled very fast then,” Dean said. “I might say that the gadget which we originally thought of in 1949 probably never would work and would have cost in terms of A-bombs a price we could never had paid.” Oppenheimer himself testified that “from then on it became clear that this was a program which was bound to succeed.” He said production of an actual hydro- gen explggiqn, in late 1952, after the discoveries in the first half of 1951, was “‘a miracle of speed.” As early as 1942, he s: he and other scientists had in mind a | hydrogen bomb that would have “10,000 times the power of the atom bomb.” No large amount of work was done on it then, he said, although “it was kept on the back burner throughout the war.” Dr.” Teller gave a modest ac- count of his own role in developing the H-bomb. As for Oppenheimer, Teller said he assumes—and will continue to assume until shown convincing proof otherwise—that Oppenheimer is loyal to the United States. But he added: “I would feel personally more secure if public matters would rest in other hands.” Asked whether he believes Op- penheimer to be a security risk, Teller replied: Oe _ thoroughly disagreed with him in numerous issues and his actions frankly appeared to me confused and complicated. To this extent I feel that I would like to see the vital interests of this coun- try in hands which I understand better, and therefore trust more.” What about security, Teller was asked. Would granting clearance to Dr. Oppenheimer endanger nation- al security? If it were a question of Oppen- heimer’s intent, he replied, there would be no harm done in granting him clearance, But if it were a , question of wisdom and judgment lit might be better to hold up the clearance, he said. He added, however, that “I am myself a little bit confused on this issue, particularly as it refers to & person of Oppenheimer’s pres- tige and influence.” In any event, he said, he saw no danger in permitting Oppenheimer access to secret data “without re- gard to the wisdom of his advice.” Teller said that if Oppenheimer and other nuclear scientists like him had lent him some moral sup- Port in 1945—instead of pulling out of Los Alamos, N. M.—he could have developed his “thermonu- clear gadget” four years earlier, Borden, who made the strongest | attack on Oppenheimer, read a tter he said he wrote to FBI Di- ; rector J. Edgar Hoover last Nov. 1. The letter related a series of ndictments which Borden said jus- tified his belief that Oppenheimer | willingly spied for the Soviets. | Borden said Oppenheimer “had no close friends except Commu- nists ... had at least one Commu- nist mistress ... was in frequent contact with Soviet espionage agents ..” He said on the day the first publicly disclosed A-bomb was dropped on Hiroshima, Oppen- heimer personally urged senior workers in the H-bomb field “‘to desist.” Attorneys for Oppenheimer pro- tested admitting Borden’s letter to the record, saying ‘this kind of an aceusation (was) not dreamed of. Retired Lt. Gen. Leslie R. Groves, who had a major hand in selecting Oppenheimer to head up the wartime A-bomb project, tes- tified that as he interprets the Atomic Energy Act—passed years after that—“I would not clear Dr. Oppenheimer today ...” He said he would base such a decision on the scientist’s “past record of as- sociations.”” Groves said, however, that Op- penheimer “‘did a magnificent job” at Los Alamos, where the A-bomb Ike Won't Think About 1956 Plans WASHINGTON #—President Ei- wer said today he is giving no thought now as to whether he will seek re-election in 1956. The President also told his news conference his forthcoming confer- ence here with Prime Minister Churchill was suggested by Churchill to combat what Eisen- hower termed the theory that there is a great rift between the United States and Britain. Eisenhower said the main pur- pose of the conference, to be held at the White House the weekend starting June 25, is to make the alliance between the two nations was developed, adding, “Natural- ly, I am prejudiced because I se- lected him for’ the job.” sl Weatherman Says Key West and Vicinity: Mostly partly cloudy today thru Thurs- day with scattered showers or thundershowers in the area. Not much change in the temperature. Low tonight about 76 to 78 de- grees; high Thursday about 86 to 88 degrees. Light to moderate variable winds, fresh near show- ers. Florida: Partly cloudy and ra- ther warm thru Thursday with scattered showeg in south and possibly at widely scattered plac- es in north portion. Jacksonville thru the Florida Straits and East Gulf: Gentle to moderate southerly winds over south portion and gentle variable winds over north portion. Weath- er partly cloudy thru Thursday. Scattered showers, especially in the south portion. Western Caribbean: Moderate east and southeast winds. Weath- er partly cloudy to overcast with widely scattered showers thru Thursday, Weather Si for the Tropical Atlantic, Caribbean Sea Area and the Eastern Gulf of Mexico: Except for scattered showers in the zone of converg- ence over south Florida, condi- tions are normal in the tropics today. . Observation Taken at Post Office Buildiig, 7:00 A.M. EST, Key West, Fla., June 16, 1954 Temperatures Highest yesterday Lowest last night .. Total this’ month Excess this mont Total this year Relative. Humidity, 7 A.M. 82% Barometer (Sea Level), 7 A.M; 29.94 ins.—1013.9 mbs. Tomorrow's Almanac Sunrise Sunset . Moonrise as strong as possible. The President’s remarks regard- ing 1956 were touched off by a newsman’s reminder that Eisen- hower’s chief aide, Sherman Adams, suggested last week that Eisenhower might not run for the presidency if the Republicans were to lose control of Congress in the elections this fall. Eisenhower was asked whether such a political development in November might have this effect on his plans. He paused for a moment, then laughed. Then Eisenhower went on to say that to his best knowledge the matter of what he will do in 1956 never yet has been discussed with him, except perhaps in a face- tious manner, The President said he was not going to make any prediction on that matter. He added, to a round of laughter, that what happens then is sufficient unto the day and the evils thereof. He mentioned the great world problems confronting the United States and said those are occupy- ing his main attention at this time. He said that not by any matter of means was he casting his mind forward to 1956 at this time. A reporter then noted that Adams, in his remarks last week, had mentioned the possible loss of Congress to the Democrats as only one of three factors which might cause Eisenhower not to seek a second term. Adams declined to disclose the other two and the President was asked whether he knows what they are. Laughing, Eisenhower said Ad- ams had mentioned to him just before the news conference that he might be asked about those other two conditions, The President quoted Adams as saying he hadn't even told Eisenhower about them, but he would do so some other time. The news conference questions dealt with several matters, among them: Farm legislation—The President again declined to say whether he would veto any bill to continue government price supports at a fixed 90 per cent of parity, instead of providing for a shift to the flex- ible price support plan advocated by the administration. In response to a question, Kisen- hower said again he never had advocated during the 1952 eam- paign government price supports at 100 per cent of parity. He said | he was talking of 100 per cent of -|parity in the market place, and stressed that he feels there is a . | big difference. AvvitiONAL TIDE DATA Reference Sta Time of Height of Station— Tide high water Bahia Honda (bridge) .....—oh 10m 9.0 tH. No Name Key (east end) ....+-2h 20m Boca Chica Sandy Pt. —oh 40m Caldes Channel (nerth end) +2h 10m (—)—Minus sign: to be subtr: (+)—Plus sign: be a TODAY'S STOCK MARKET NEW YORK, ® — The stock market early dealings on the heels of its sharply higher performance of yes- terday when the greatest advance of the past two years was scored. Prices were up today around 2 points at the best with some sharp gains in special situations. Losses were small. Container Corp. advanced 3% at 52% at the start after directors declared a dividend of 75 cents, the second increase this year. Union Pacific, which was up 8% yesterday, was up 2 additional Points today at 138. surged ahead today in |it Korea—When Ut of State Walter Bedell Smith returns from the Geneva conference, the President plans to invite. rep- resentatives of both parties in Congress to the White House hear a report on those sessions. Eisenhower said the next in the Korean situation is for 16 anti-Communist Allies fought there to report to the Unit Nations. He said the United Na- he is not so sure just what the results would be if the United States and other free nations were to cut off all trade with Russia and the satellite countries. ‘The President was told that Rep. Dies (D-Tex) had suggested that the best way to halt the communism would be to al ha I aque: pEeszid § What we are striving for, he said, is the kind of centrifugal force which would have the effect of driving the satellites away from dependence upon Russia, DAIRY SPECIALIST (Continued from Page One) meeting will be held in La Concha Hotel, Faraldo said. Among other gainers were U.S. | ing: Steel, Chrysler, Douglas Aircraft, Homestake Mining, American Cy- anamid, General Electric Santa Fe New York Central, Sinclair Oil and U.S. Gypsum. appreciation which was a the Kiwanis Club by co Navy their participation in Arm- ed Forces Day celebration. Faraldo told the members that Read Citizen Daily the local club may. get a prize for having the most “colorful bulletin 'S DEPT. In every case in which delivery Navy or Marine Corps person- nel for civil trial is authorized, the commanding officer of the accus- must obtain from the governor te or from someone au- by the state a written agreement, he said, states commanding officer will ed of the results of the that the accused will be to Naval authorities at where he was delivered authorities or that the ities will furnish trans- to the nearest receiving or Naval station without ex- United States or to ivered. The delivery is to take place im- mediately after acquittal or upon satisfaction of the sentence, the spokesman said. ‘The section of the road where the fatal accident occutred was under construction. When he issued the manslaugh- ter warrant, Hamlin said. skid marks on the road indicated the lafe ‘model convertible owned by the dead woman’s husband had skidded about 200 feet before ov- The Perrens have one child, a three-year-old daughter, Coleen. TWELVE LOCAL BOYS (Continued from Page One) Mrs. E. E. Hood, 919 Southard St., sponsored by National Gold Star Mothers, Inc., Key West Chapter. Michael Cates, son of Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Cates, 1434 Virginia St., sponsored by Veteran's of For- eign Wars Post 3911. Tony Herce, Jr., son of Mr. and Mrs. Antonio Herce, Sr., 1007 Tru- man Ave., sponsored by Key West. Consistory (Scottish Rite Bodies). Arthur Noble, son of Mr. and Mrs. Ralph Noble, 1101 Truman Ave., sponsored by Key West Ro- tary Club. Robert Sacker, son of Mr. and Mrs. John Sacker, 1400 Petronia St., sponsored by B. P. 0. Elks Lodge 551. Manuel Boa, Jr., son of Mr. and Mrs. Manuel Boa, Sr., 1321 George 7 esc by Key West Lions Walter Frazeur, Jr., son of Mr. and Mrs. Walter Frazeur, 7 Thomp- son Lane, sponsored by Voiture Lo- cale 728, 40 and 8 (fun and honor group of American Legion). Sammy Curry, son of Mr. and RECREATION (Continued from Page One) made to accommodate these chil- dren, A typical day’s program includes instruction in craft work, games and folk dances, story telling, dra- matics, creative art, and organized sports. Three times a week the youngs- ters are taken to the beach where they picnic and swim under the direction of the instructors, all of whom are members of the school instructional staffs. ACTRESS NURSES HURT (Continued From Page One) ' source reported, from testimony which had her dashing through her rear yard in the nude, chased by a threatening Barker. She worried about the effect such sensationalism would have on the couple’s twin sons and on the moviegoing public. The combina- tion of worry and something she ate brought on the sickness, the friend aided. Although Hahn volunteered news of the reported settlement, Martin Gang, attorney for the actress, said he would predict no settle- ment at this time. Offer Told “It's true,” he told newsmen, “that we made an offer before the case ever went to trial.” LOCAL SAFETY (Continued from Page One), wallet-size membership card has been printed and will be distribut- ed tonight for the first time. These cards should be a reminder to the bearer that accidents may happen to anyone and that the life a sa- fety worker saves may be his own. The meeting tonight will take place at eight o’clock or as soon thereafter as the hall is available following the City traffic com- mittee forum. 5B Although the City Commissioners are also scheduled to have a meet- ing tonight, they have informed the Safety Council that they will adjourn to another room in order to furnish the Safety Council com- plete use of the hall. McCARTHY IS FORCED (Continued from Page One) charged in turn that Stevens and Army Counselor John G. Adams attempted to use Schine as a “‘hos- tage” in efforts to sidetrack a Mc- Carthy investigation of alleged Communists in ‘the Army. — Much of the forenoon session of this 35th and possibly final day of the hearings was given over. to argument as to McCarthy’s right to receive secret information from government employes. At times there were political overtones. FBI Document é McCarthy, defending his receiv- ing a summary of an FBI docu- ment from an Army intelligence h'| officer, has contended government employes have a duty to give Participate sare wrlpoe e irgest group of boys to attend Boys’ State as fest and Arthur Sawyer Post Srateful that so many local vie organizations have cooperat- a0 highly in this wonderful pro- Boys’ State, originated by the American Legion in 1935, is recog- today as one of the most ef- youth-training activities de- to interest teenage boys in the principles of good government. Political him—as chairman of the Senate’s Government Operations Commit- tee—i information of any, wrong- doing. 3 At one point, McCarthy said Sen. McClellan (D-Ark) had, in effect, accused him of committing a crime by taking the document. He con- tended the Arkansas Democrat was “grossly in error’ and expressed hope McClellan would “‘correct the record.” McCarthy also said that in effect McClean was saying that if the Democrats take over the control of the Senate and McClellan suc- ceeded him as chairman of the Senate Investigations subcommit- tee— At this point McClellan broke in to say with a smile, “That won't be long.” “It’s entirely ” MeCar- high! thy said. Then he went on with his sentence to say that in effect McClellan was saying that no one should give him information that was stamped confidential, ROAD BOARD (Continued From Page One) ing a recessed grand jury is for -| the foreman to ask the Circuit Court judge to recall the body. When Pinder issued his call, us- ;|ing the press and radio and sher- be sent to Washington, ae National Boys’ For- expenses paid by Na- tional Headquarters of the Amer- Fora cp and Florida Boys’ iff’s deputies to notify the jurors, Judge Lopez said he knew nothing about the recall. Earl Adams, clerk of the circuit court, said the jury had not given him a list of the addresses of the jurors. Notification Problem This complicated matters for the sheriff's deputies who got busy try- ing to find the addresses in phone Nevertheless, everybody was fin- ally notified and the grand jurors met the following day — April 22 — with McEwen. ~ The body met fairly regularly after that, even meeting the day before the first primary and on election day, May 4. However, on May 3, the. day be- fore election, not enough jurors showed up to constitute a quorum. The grand jury has returned one indictment. That was against Brooks Bate- man, former general manager of the old Overseas Road and Toll ployee do painting work at Bate- man’s Marathon ager filed a, Previously, Mars! information in CS rameg egos charging Alonzo Cothron, Keys con- tractor, and Bateman with grand larceny in connection with the al- leged mi: of $49,000 in district Page 8 Betancourt-Mullins ‘The wedding of Miss JoAnn Mul- lins will take place on Friday, June 18, and the reception will be held at 517 Grinnell Street. et TRAFFIC MEET IS (Continued from Page One) Duval St. to accommodate the cars of Naval Station employees, ‘ Areas M. E. Bennett, chairman of the committee pointed out that the two most congested areas in the city are in the Naval Station near the Naval Station and on Duval St. His committee feels that eli- minating Duval St. parking — ex- cept for deliveries — will have the effect of a widening the street by one lane. Land at the corner of Simonton and Angela Street and the city- owned property at the Clyde-Mal- lory Dock, has been suggested for pean sites for the city parking The Chamber of Commerce com- mittee includes Bennett, Paul J. Sher, Sam Silberman, T. 0. Bruce, Ignacio Carbonell and Edna Mil- ler. —_ The blood volume of whales is relatively greater, even in propor- bss to size than that of other mam- mais. Taree worecsin MITAMI —_—_—————————<< THE KEY WEST CITIZEN “IMPOSSIBLE” PROBLEM OF INTERFERING DOORS MOLCOMB & HOKE FOLD OR Venetian Blind Co. 8. R. SILBERMAN, Awnings - Jalousies Windows.- Doors Lawn and Patio Furniture 716 Duval Street Phone 2-8531 at POPULAR PRICES Lecated in the Heart of the City REASONABLE RATES ROOMS WRITE or WIRE for RESERVATIONS with BATH and TELEPHONE Ritz HOTEL Pershing Miller HOTEL HOTEL 132 E. Flagler St. 926. N.B. Ist Ave. 229 N.E. Ist Ave. 102 Rooms Elevator Solarium 100 Rooms Elevator Heated 80 Rooms . 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