The Biological Effects of Atonle Yadtation
Based on (i) “A Report to the Pui ‘ic, and
(2) “Summary Heporte™
To understand and best evaluate the implications of this
report it is important to bear in mind the background of the
individual scientists who made the study and their relationship
to the National Academy of Sctences-National Research Council
and to the Government.
The NAS-NRC is not a Government organization.
True, it was
established by President Lincoln in order to have a distinguished
body of scientists with whom the Government could consult at the
time of the Civil War.
On the other hand,
it is a self-perpetua-
ting body of free American scientists who control the membership
of the Academy without any Governmental appointments.
While
various Federal agencies may appoint representatives to the
various divisions of the National Research Council (the operating
body of the NAS),
they serve to bring problems to the Council for
advice, and not to control the actions or the opinions of Council.
in the case of this study, the President of the NAS, Dr.
Detlev W. Bronk, calied together some 100 American scientists to
carry out the study as individual citizens.
While some of the
setentists were Government employees 2-4 top advisers to Government on scientific matters,
they were rot acting in these
capacities in their participation in the study.
0.2 ctudy was undertaken largely
felt thrrusnout
tlean
the country following
2u extiostion at El
if, cs a
is 4 result of the ccuoern
‘ce March 1,
esvlt of
1954
therce-
whieh 2 notlen