240 



(9) Does the treaty deprive the United States of any essential 

 freedom or useful course of action — particularly if such depriva- 

 tion is unnecessary to the purjDoses of the treaty ? 



A future arms control treaty will almost certainly receive a more 

 searching inquiry as to its financial implications. The cost of carrying 

 out the precautionary provisions recommended by the Joint Chiefs 

 of Staff — on which the Senate Military Preparedness Subcommittee 

 set such store — has reached an impressive total, and seems destined to 

 amount to a significant cost for as long as the treaty remains in force. 



The Senate underwent an exhausting exercise in the absorption of 

 highly classified and highly technical information. The proposition 

 was demonstrated that extreme competence in some scientific areas does 

 not necessarily qualify a witness to express authoritative judgments 

 over the entire scientific spectrum. The proposition was also demon- 

 strated that the self-discipline that scientists impose on themselves in 

 their own fields does not necessarily extend to their expressions of view 

 on other matters. The result is an increase of skepticism as to the abil- 

 ity of science to achieve all things. 



It is difficult to assess the effect on the Senate decision that was con- 

 tributed by public attitudes, and attitudes of witnesses, toward radio- 

 activity. There was no question but that weapons tests raised the level 

 of radioactivity in the environment, that some radioactive isoton<vs 

 were so hannful to human physiology that concentrations of these iso- 

 topes in the environment needed to be kept below" some "safe" level. 

 The determination of such "safe" levels was never satisfactorily 

 resolved, however, because it involved proving a negative ; accordingly, 

 it had become a political rather than a technical question. Undoubt- 

 edly the test ban treaty would result in a reduction in the quantity of 

 radioactivity dispersed into the environment. Undoubtedly also, this 

 beneficial effect was well established with the Members of the Senate. 

 However, it appears to have been accepted as a general "plus" rather 

 than specifically advanced as an urgent and decisive reason for apj) rov- 

 ing the treaty. 



