Attachment 10

                 Memorandum from T. L. Shipman to
                     Charles L. Dunham 7/5/56

                                        June 9, 1956


Dr. Charles L. Dunham
Division of Biology and Medicine
U. S. Atomic Energy Commission
Washington 25, D. C.

Dear Chuck:

This is a rather belated reply to your letter of May 18
concerning the Biomedical Test Planning and Screening Committee. 
it is obvious that we in Los Alamos would truly be dogs in the
manager if we failed to participate in such a committee.  I
certainly cannot duck out as I think that I am the one who
originally suggested the formation of the first committee to
Shields.  Unfortunately, Mr. LeBaron reduced that committee to
impotence by refusing to let the military participate.  Any
proposals for test programs made by the military, therefore, were
not subject to approval or disapproval by the committee while
they were in their early planning stages.  It would be my hope
that the reorganized committee will either be given some real
responsibility or will at least be able to speak in a loud,
strong voice against any proposed program which appears to be
poorly or inadequately planned in advance or which appears to be
an out and out waste of the taxpayers' money.

I would like to suggest that you have my name and Wright
Langham's as members of the committee (we were both on it
before), and that Payne Harris be listed as our alternate. 
Between us, we can make quite a lot of noise.

For your information, I am enclosing a memo which I have recently
sent around.  This memo in a way represents my comments or my
reply to a previous memo from Darol Froman.  As far as your
interests are concerned, this previous memo would be of no
interest or concern to you.  We in H-Division, however, are
feeling more and more strongly that the time has come for someone
to wave a red flag in front of the enthusiasts who are promoting
power reactors for every country.  Someone has got to take a
long, hard look at the problem of atmospheric and environmental
contamination which would result if such a program went ahead
completely unbridled.  We still have a lot to learn about the
control and disposal of reactor waste products.  Perhaps I had
better have a work with my neighbor, Mr. McKinney.

                              Very sincerely yours,

                              THOMAS L. SHIPMAN, M. D.,
                              Health Division Leader

Enc. - As stated

TLS/lca