USAEC General Advisory Seventh Committee Log
Washington D.C., October 28-30, 1949
FIRST SESSION (October 28, 1949)
The Chairman convened this Session at 2:00 p.m.
PRESENT:
- Dr. Oppenheimer
- Dr. Buckley
- Dr. DuBridge
- Dr. Fermi
- Dr. Rabi
- Dr. Smith, the Secretary
- Mr. George F. Kerman, Counsellor of the Department of State
ABSENT:
- Dr. Seaborg was missing from all sessions of this meeting.
Mr. Kerman presented his views of the Russian situation and replied to several questions from Committee members. He left the meeting at 2:45 p.m.
The remainder of the Session, which Dr. Rowe joined, was devoted to continuing the discussion of our present policy and the role of atomic energy in developing the policy’s current and future implementation.
This Session was adjourned by 4:00 p.m. to let the members have informal discussions with Dr. H. A. Bethe of Cornell University and Dr. R. Serber of the Radiation Laboratory, Berkeley.
SECOND SESSION (October 29, 1949)
This Session was convened at 9:30 a.m.
PRESENT:
- Dr. Oppenheimer
- Dr. Buckley
- Dr. Conant
- Dr. DuBridge
- Dr. Fermi
- Dr. Rabi
- Dr. Rowe
- Dr. Smith, the Secretary
- Mr. Tomei
As the result of an agreement that the proposal to initiate a program for the development of a super-bomb was the chief issue under the broad objective of examining whether the Commission is doing everything reasonably possible for it to do for the common defense and security, the discussion was directed toward considering the details and potential consequences of such a program.
At 10:00 a.m., Commissioners Lilienthal, Dean, Smyth, and Strauss, General Manager, the Deputy General Manager, the Director of Production, the Director of Reactor Development, the General Counsel, and the Executive Officer of the Program Council of the Commission joined the the meeting, followed at 10:10 a.m. by the Director of Biology and Medicine and the Director of Military Application, and at 10:20 a.m. by the Director of Research. Mr. Tomei was absent for the remainder of this Session. Discussion of the super-bomb program continued with this group.
At 11:00 a.m., the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the Chairman and the Executive Secretary of the Military Liaison Committee, the Chairman of the Weapons Systems Evaluation Group, Lt. Gen. L. Norstad, and Rear Adm. W. S. Parsons joined the Committee to discuss the military factors relevant to the Commission’s program. Commissioners Lilienthal, Dean, Smyth, Strauss, the General Manager, and the Director of Military Application of the Commission were also present. This meeting explored the military implications of the Commission’s current or future programs.
This Session was adjourned at 12:30 p.m.
THIRD SESSION
The Committee met with Dr. Malcolm C. Henderson, Deputy Director of Intelligence, AEC, at 2: 10 P.m. to obtain background information on Russian activities as known to his office. Commissioners Lilienthal, Dean, Smyth, and Strauss were also present. Dr. Henderson left the meeting at 3:30 p.m. Discussion continued until the adjournment of the Session at 5:00 p.m.
FOURTH SESSION
This Session was convened at 8:15 p.m. All Committee members (except Dr. Seaborg), the Secretary, and Mr. Tomei were present. Further exploration of the super-bomb program was conducted. Before adjournment at 10:10 p.m., it was understood that drafts of specific positions would be the first order of business at the next Session.
FIFTH SESSION (October 30, 1949)
This Session was convened at 9:05 a.m.
PRESENT:
- Dr. Oppenheimer
- Dr. Buckley
- Dr. Conant
- Dr. DuBridge
- Dr. Fermi
- Dr. Rabi
- Dr. Rowe
- Dr. Smith, the Secretary
- Mr. Tomei
Preliminary positions on the super-bomb program were outlined, and other possibilities for extension of the Commission’s program – reactors for producing freely available neutrons, increased fissionable material production, and using atomic weapons for tactical purposes – were discussed.
At 10:10 a.m., Commissioners Lilienthal, Dean, Pike, Smyth, Strauss, the General Manager, and the General Counsel of the Commission joined the group for a summary by Dr. Oppenheimer of the views of the Committee at this time and for additional discussion. Mr. Tomei was absent until 12:15 p.m.
During this portion of this Session, the Committee agreed that the Commission should feel free to use as it wished the reports and written views it would receive from the Committee. This action implied that the members of the GAC would not discuss the Committee’s opinions until freed to do so by step of the Commission. In addition, it was agreed that each member would avoid discussing their opinion for at least one week, the initial day of the proposed Los Alamos conference. This was done to assure the Commission’s maximum freedom of action in the matters under discussion.
The guests of the Committee left at 12:15 p.m.
After taking action to confirm the date of the next meeting as December 1, 2, and 3, 1949, the place as Washington, and the dates of the subsequent encounter as January 31 and February 1, 1950, the Committee constituted drafting groups for the preparation of papers. The papers thus prepared were edited and modified to consist of the following:
- A report by the Chairman addressed to the Chairman of the AEC, consisting of a cover letter and two Parts, approved by all members of the Committee (except Dr. Seaborg, who was not present). The “majority” to which reference is made (Part 11, page 4, last paragraph) included neither Dr. Fermi nor Dr. Rabi.
- One attachment to the report was approved and signed by Dr. Conant, Dr. Rowe, Dr. Smith, Dr. DuBridge, Dr. Buckley, and Dr. Oppenheimer.
- A second attachment was approved and signed by Dr. Fermi and Dr. Rabi.
Given the nature of the documents, it was agreed that they should bear a Top Secret classification.
The Minutes of the Sixteenth Meeting of the Committee was unanimously approved, and this meeting was adjourned at 3:00 p.m.
J. H. Manley, Secretary
Original at: USAEC General Advisory Committee Records, U.S. Dept. of Energy, Germantown, Maryland.