\
‘,
~52is apparently not considered to be crucial.
While the retention of such secrets
would impose upon the scicntists of other nations the necessity of carrying
through a good deal of tine-consuming research which vould nerely duplicate that
already done in this country, there seems to be little question that countrics
like the Soviet Union and France and probably several of the lesscr nations of
Europe have the resources in scientific talent to accomplish it.
It is (a) the
technical and engincering details of the manufacturing process for the fission-
able materials and (b) the design of the bomb itsclf which arc thought to be the
critical hurdles.
{
“N
At a public meeting in Vashingtonim,Dec uber 11, 1945, Major Genoral Leslic
R. Groves permitted hinsolf the observation that the bomb was not a problem for
us but for our grandchildren,
‘hat he obviously intended that statement to con-
voy was the idea that it would take other nations, like Russia, many years to
duplicate our feat.
When it was submitted to him that the scientists who worked
on the problen were practically wnaninous in their disagreement, he responded
that they did not understand the proble:z,
The difficulties to be overcome, he
insists, are not primarily of a scientific but of an engineering character.
And
while the Sovict Union may have first-rate sciontists, it clearly docs not have
the great resources in engincering talent or the industrial laboratorics that
we enjoy.
Perhaps ac3 but there are a fow pertinent facts which bear on such a surmise.
First of all, it has always beon axiomatic in the armed services that the only
way really to keep a device secret is to keep the fact of its existence secrct.
Thus, the essential basis of secrecy of the atomic bomb disappeared on August 6,
1945.
But the samc day sav the release of the Smyth Repert, which was subse-
quently published in book form and widcly distributed.
Members of the Var
Department who approved its publication, including Gencral Groyes himself, insist
that it reveals nothing cf importance.
But scientists close +to the project point
out that the Smyth Report reveals substantially everything that the Amcrican and
7