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Representative Hosmer. Were you complaining about the long extension of the moratorium on testing or what? Is that what you were
implying?
Dr. Lancuam. No. I would just like to know, are we gaining
significantly by holding additionaltests or is further weapons testing
essential to the defense of this country?
If it is, there is no question
but what we should doit.
Representative Hosmer. I guess somebody evaluated it and found
it was worth while.
Dr. Laneuam. Undoubtedly they must have.
Chairman Ho.trterp. I am sure that the President and his advisers
looked into this matter very carefully. I was present at some of the
conferences that took place. I have also been present. in executive
hearings where evaluations of the debris from the Russian tests were
analyzed and the meaning was conveyed to the members of this
committee which indicated in some instances a sophistication which
did not exist in the 1958 test. The problem of defending our Nation,
of course, is involved in the President’s decision. The President has
expressed himself more than once that he would like to see testing
stopped, that he would walk the last mile to obtain a cessation of
testing and establishment of a disarmament—a real disarmament in
the world—but lacking the progress in these fields due to what many
of us who have watched the negotiations believe to be the recalcitrance
of the Russian Soviets and their absolute refusal to allow anything
that approached a guaranteed inspection system, and in the face of
the tests which indicate capability of improvementin military capability to attack this free constitutional government which webelieve in,
the President and his advisers have made this decision that it is
necessary. It has not been made idly.
It has been made after a great many months of soul searching and
the best scientific advice available. So I can assure you as one
member of this committee that the resumption of tests was decided
to be necessary. It was a reluctant and long-delayed decision. But
it was made on the basis that the security of our Nation was involved
in making that decision.
Dr. Laneram. This was not said in the way of criticism at all. It
was said to imply that as far as I can see with the risk this small,
and a potential importance so great, that the President had no
alternative.
Representative Price. Dr. Langham, on page 4 of your complete
statement, you state that animal experiments have proved unequivocally that enough strontium in the skeleton will prove bone cancer
and other skeletal pathology. Youalso state that the amount to do
this in man is not known. Whatis presently being done in this area
to give us this information and how muchlonger will it be to complete this work.
Dr, LaNneHam. There are any number of animal experiments under
way involving the tumorgenic properties of strontium 89 and 90 and
radiations of other types. We may knoweventually how much of this
material it takes to produce a bone malignancy in a rat or mouse or
other laboratory animal. We maynever know how muchit takes to
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