409350 ENCLOSURE I UNITED STATES ATOMIC ENERGY COMMISSION WASHINGTON 25, D. C. | July 12 . 1956 Dear Governor Stassen: In accordance with your request made in the meeting of the President's Special Committee on Disarmament Problems onJune 15, 1956 and confirmed in your memorandum of June 19 to Mr. Foster, the Atomic Energy Commission has undertaken an analysis of the following reports: 1. The Biological Effects of Atomic Radiation, a study by the National Academy of Sciences, 2. The United Kingdom Medical Research Council report, The Hazards to Man of Nuclear and Allied Radiations. 3. An account of the Norwegian matter, 4, Dr, H. J. Muller's article, Race Poisoning by Radiation. Primary attention is devoted to the two basic documents-- the reports of the National Academy of Sclences and the United Kingdom Medical Research Council. These are competent, well written reports and we trust that an increased public understanding of the effects of atomic radiation will result from their publication. We note, however, that there were no major data presented in either the National Academy of Sciences report or the United Kingdom Medical Research Council report not already known to the Atomic Energy Commission, and previously reported in open literature. Except for some difference in the Strontium-90 data, the data, conclusions and recommendations of both reports were in good agreement considering the complexity of the problems and the independence of the two studies. The reports recommended an additional restriction as to the total radiation exposure to be permitted over a number of years, It is not anticipated that the reports will create any major change in our position regarding our weapons testing position or the Atoms-for-Peace program. Both the NAS and the UK reports consider the genetics aspect of radiation as being paramount, It is with this factor principally in mind that upper limits of whole bodily exposure -1- Enclosure I Prowse 1°24 (Mantes ENOLT ThyWE MOMFIEMED TO BE UNCLASSIFIED Y ‘ AUTHORITY: : poe “DPC DP shigled PAL. onlay