ATOMIC ENERGY HEARINGS BEFORE THE SPECIAL COMMITTEE ON ATOMIC ENERGY UNITED STATES SENATE SEVENTY-NINTH CONGRESS FIRST SESSION PURSUANT TO S. Res. 179 A RESOLUTION CREATING A SPECIAL COMMITTEE TO INVESTIGATE PROBLEMS RELATING TO THE DEVELOPMENT, USE. AND CON- TROL OF ATOMIC ENERGY PART 3 DECEMBER 13, 14, 19, AND 20, 1945 Printed for the use of the Special Committee on Atomic Energy UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE 79879 WASHINGTON : 1946 SPECIAL COMMITTEE ON ATOMIC ENERGY BRIEN McMAHON, Connecticut, Chairman RICHARD B. RUSSELL, Georgia ARTHUR H. VANDENBERG, Michigan EDWIN C. JOHNSON, Colorado WARREN R. AUSTIN, Vermont TOM CONNALLY, Texas EFGENE D. MTLLIKIN, Colorado HARRY FLOOD BYRD, Virginia BOURKE B. HICKENLOOPER, Iowa MILLARD E. TYDINGS, Maryland THOMAS C. HART, Connecticut EDWARD U. CONDON, Scientific Adviser JAMES R. NEWMAN, Special Assietant to the Committee CHRISTOPHER T. BOLAND, Staf Director SYLVIA R. GREEN, Editor CONTENTS Thursday, December 13, 1945: Statement of- Pasg Dr. Ross Gunn, technical adviser to the naval administration of the Naval Research Laboratory--------------------------- 364 Commodore W. S. Parsons assistant to the Deputy Chief, Naval Operations for Special Weapons--------------------------- 382 Friday, December 14, 1945: Statement of- Vice Adm. W. H. P. Blandy, Deputy Chief, Naval Operations for Special Weapons ------------------------------------- 391 Rear Adm. William R. Purnell, Assistant Chief of Naval Opera- tions for Mat6riel --------------------------------------- 397 Rear Adm. Lewis L. Strauss, Deputy Chairman of the Army- Navy Munitions Board and Special Assistant to the Secretary of the Navy------------------------------------------- 404 Wednesday, December 19, 1945: Statement of- Frank R. Creedon, formerly with Stone & Webster Engineering Corp----------------------------------------------- 407 H. E. Thompson, vice president, Carbide & Carbon chemicals Corp---_------ ---- ------------------- -- _.. 417 Thursday, December 20, 1945: Statement of- H. A. Winne, vice president and manager of engineering in the apparatus department, General Electric Co ---------------- 437 Edwin H. Brown, vice president in charge of the engineering and development division, Allis-Chalmers Manufacturmg Co. 448 III ATOMIC ENERGY THURSDAY, DECEMBER 13, 1945 UNITED STATES SENATE, SPECIAL COMMITTEE ON ATOMIC ENERGY, Washington, D. C. The special committee met, pursuant to adjournment, at 10 a. m., in room 312, Senate Office Building, Senator Brien McMahon (chair- man) presiding. Present: Senators McMahon (chairman), Johnson, Millikin, Hick- enlooper, and Hart. Also present: Vice Adm. W. H. P. Blandy, Deputy Chief, Naval Operations for Special Weapons; Rear Adm. William R. Purnell, Assistant Chief of Naval Operations for Materiel; and Rear Adm. Lewis L. Strauss. special assistant to the Secretary of the Navy; Edward U. Condon, scientific adviser; and James R. Newman, special assistant to the special committee. The CHAIRMAN. The committee will be in order. Gentlemen, we will let you handle your presentation in your own way. Admiral STRAUSS. Mr. Chairman, we have two introductory para- graphs, with your permission. The invitation to the Navy to appear before your committee this morning has not afforded sufficient time for the preparation of a formal statement, but in the light of the fact that the Navy does not appear before your committee to urge any special position, advocate any par- ticular point of view, nor sponsor any pending legislation, there would not appear to be any purpose in a statement beyond such as may be elicited in the course of response to your questions. Th'e Navy is represented here today by Vice Adm. W. H. P. Blandy, Rear Adm. William R. Purnell, Commodore W. S. Parsons, Dr. Ross Gunn, and myself. Admiral Blandy, formerly Chief of the Bureau of Ordnance, until very recently in command of amphibious groups in the Pacific, is now Deputy Chief of Naval Operations, his special duties being in charge of all interests in the Navy in atomic energy, guided missiles, and related matters. Admiral Purnell is Assistant Chief of Naval Operations. From the outset of the Manhattan project, he has been th& principal Navy representative on the Military Policy Committee for the atomic projects. Commodore Parsons is Admiral Blandy's principal assistant. He combines the background of the Regular officer with that of the physicist. He has been associated with the development of the Man- 363 364 ATOMIC ENERGY hattan enterprise since May 1943. He took the first atomic bomb to the Pacific and supervised its delivery all the way to the target. Dr. Gunn is attached to the Naval Research Laboratory, where, at his suggestion and under his direction, the separation of the uranium isotope, or more properly the enrichment of uranium, was first suc- cessfully performed on any appreciable scale and many months before any other project had been inaugurated. As for myself, I am special assistant to the Secretary of the Navy and have been serving as the Navy member of the Interim Advisory Committee on Atomic Energy. We had expected, if you had no specific plan as to how you wished us to present the Navy aspect of this, to open with Dr. Gunn, to follow him with Commodore Parsons, Admiral Purnell, and Admiral Blandy summing up. The CHAIRMAN. Admiral, that will be quite satisfactory, I am sure. I presume that the Navy is conducting rather intensive research and study into the integration of this weapon into future naval opera- tions. I understand, of course, we could hardly expect any testimony on that score today, although I do not want to restrict any testimony that you might need along that line. We would be glad to have it. I was of the opinion that perhaps that work might be proceeding rather expeditiously and that after we return from the Christmas holiday we would hear the Navy again, either in open or executive session, as you gentlemen would determine, on your thoughts on the integration of this matter into the Navy's program for the national defense. I wish you would proceed along those lines, if you would. Admiral STRAUSS. We certainly will welcome the opportunity to appear again. Senator. whenever it is the pleasure of the committee. and I think with respect to those specific points you mentioned, if they should come up today, that Admiral Blandy and Admiral Pur- nell will be those witnesses who would be qualified to discuss them. The CHAIRm.N. I might say further to you gentlemen that we have been leaving with the witnesses, of necessity, the election, if they are asked some question they feel should be answered in executive session, to just say so, and we will afford that opportunity. No offense will be taken if you say just that. All right, Admiral. Admiral STRAUSS. Dr. Gunn. STATEMENT OF DR. ROSS GUNN, TECHNICAL ADVISER TO THE NAVAL ADMINISTRATION OF THE NAVAL RESEARCH LABORATORY Dr. GrNN. Mr. Chairman, I think I would like to open my remarks by explaining to the committee the reasons lying behind the Navy's interest in this problem, in relation particularly to the work of the Naval Research Laboratory. Admiral Blandy and Commodore Parsons will be more interested in the bomb, but our original approach was in a little different direc- tion, which we knew had a direct bearing on the bomb problem. I think a good many of us have been considerably alarmed in the last few years at the rate at which our coal and oil reserves were dis- appearing. We emerged from tle war, and even though the Navy ATOMIC ENERGY 365 had oil reserves of various kinds we have cut into those reserves in a very deplorable manner. I think that future generations will probably have something to say about our waste of the tremendous hydrocarbon reserves, oil and coal. The utility and usefulness of coal and oil under present-day develop- ments in organic chemistry cannot be measured in terms of what they will do to run furnaces, boilers, and engines. The amount of oil and coal available is distinctly a fixed quantity. We are not getting any more. It takes millions of years to make it, and when it is gone, it is rone. A good organic chemistry industry can make medicines, oils, lubri- cants, plastics-thousands of things that modern man and civilization requires and must have. Many of us have worried about that, as I said, and within the last 15 or '20 years we have realized that there were other sources that might be tapped. Some of us were not at all surprised when, early in 1939, the conversion of the uranium nucleus was observed and energy from that transformation was made available. As I see it, the main function of nuclear transformations is to take on the job of turning the world's wheels and driving its ships. In spite of the awful manner in which it has been presented to the world, I, for one, welcome it as giving a promise of a longer civilization than we would have ordinarily looked forward to; because at the rate we were going we certainly wouldn't have fuel to turn the wheels of in- dustry in another 500 years. One of the jobs of my Mechanics and Electricity Division at the Naval Research Laboratory is to explore the fundamental aspects of power production, utilization, storage, and conversion. We have spent years studying special methods of power production and conversion that were suitable for special naval applications. We have explored the use of special fuels, new methods of power storage, new types of engines that will achieve a particular objective; for example, the range and speed of a military ship is of the utmost military impor- tance, and many an engagement at sea has been broken off under otherwise very favorable circumstances because the fuel supply was getting low and the ship didn't have enough fuel. Many a man has lost his life and ships have been lost while refueling at sea under adverse weather conditions or in the presence of an enemy submarine.