Chapter II of the Atomic Age

CHAPTER II of the atomic age became a stark reality on Sept. 23 when President Truman tersely informed a startled White House press conference that Russia had achieved "an atomic explosion." Thus, the so-called secret is no longer a secret, confirming the position taken by scientists more than four years ago that the alleged existence of a secret was mere wishful thinking; that what we did possess in a truly monopolistic sense was a considerable amount of industrial and technical know-how and that but for a limited period of time only. That such knowledge could and would be duplicated by other nations given time and the services of skilled scientists and technologists was well recognized by all closely associated with science and engineering and by those statesmen and politicians who approached the problem objectively. Scientists and technologists were speaking the truth when they told the American public that Russia could and would have a bomb ...