MON~DAY, MAY~ 17, 1548 THE MICHIGAN AITLY a as ay. xea a ,. as 1 v.a.aa. v .x.11-11 L 1 I Alum i Aid( Expected hor Phoenix Ilan NO ATOM AUTOS YET- Preseint Studies ilake Some Headway Indicate Support Although plans for alumni par- ticipation in the Phoenix Projec have not yet been settled, state- ments from two prominent alum- ni representatives indicate tha country-wide support for the me- morial will build up quickly after the announcement. T. Hawley Tapping, General Secretary of the Alumni Associa. tion, the largest group of its kin in the country, is one of the most energetic supporters of te p- ject: Eagerly Awaited "Michigan's alumni have beer thinking in terms of a war me- morial ever since the end of th war. Today's announcement b3 the War Memorial Committee has been eagerly awaited." "Last fall the Directors of th Alumni Association voiced hig approval of the work of the Com- mittee, one member of which is a past president of the Association "At the next session of the Alumni Association June 10 the Directors will have the opportun- ity to speak for Michigan men and women in approval of this magnificent prdject and to set the stage for alumni participation.' Michigan Alumnus Tapping said that the Michigan Alumnus, bimonthly alumni mag- azine, would be boosting the pro- ject in its next issue, May 22. Christian F. Matthews, Mt. Cle- mens, Mich., attorney, was thE alumni representative on the Me- morial Committee. He said the Committee had spent approxi- mately a year working with sug- gestions for a memorial which would be a real tribute to the country's war dead. "We hope that this project will be of benefit for everybody, and not only our own people," he said. "I think we have finally found a wonderful project, worthy o1 our most enthusiastic support." The following is the text of a resolution passed by the Alumni Association when the Memorial Committee was first organized: RESOLUTION: It is resolved that the University of Michigan Alumni Association whole-heart- edly support and assist the Com- mittee appointed by the Board of Regents to study the advisability of adopting a War Memorial Pro- gram and recommends that such a Memorial incorporate the phil- osophy that it is better to com- memorate the memory of those who have made the supreme sac- rifice by attempting to develop a project that will aid all mankind in living in a war-free world rather than to attempt to build a mound of stone the purpose of which might soon be forgotten. Key Roles for 'U' Alumni, Students Seen Will Direct Project With Experts, Faculty The tentative organizational set-up of Project Phoenix indi- cates key roles for both students and alumni in the workings and financing of the University's War Memorial. A Board of Directors will be set up to supervise the entire pro- ject. It will be composed of rep- resentatives of the student body, the faculty, the administration and the alumni plus several tech- nical experts. Project Chairman Under the Board of Directors will be the Building Chairman, and the Project Chairman who will be concerned with operation of the Memorial and the Admin- istrator, who supervise the raising of the funds. The Building Chairman will have charge of planning and con- structing the physical part of Pro- ject Phoenix, its memorial ro- tunda, laboratories, etc. Actual Planning A To the Project Chairman and his group will fall the planning of the actual atomic applications research work of the Memorial. They will select the various pro- jects to be undertaken, subdivide the work to individual scientists and then supervise and coordinate the overall progress. The Administrator, whose name will be announced within a few weeks, will have charge of the mammoth fund raising drive to be innaugerated next fall, tenta- tively during the Annual Home- coming Weekend. Plans are also being considered to hold a series of prize contests to draw publicity to the Phoenix Project. Competition would be It's too early to begii acceptini bids for i'stalling an atomic power plant in your automobile, but atomic energy for peacetime use h as already been sliowvii pr-ac- ticable in idustry, medicine and agriculture. The University "Phoenix Pro- ject can be expected to improve peacetime applications currently employed or being studied for use in treating disease in homes, in- dustries, transportation and to produce new aids in manufactur- ing a whole host of products. I Most medical advances through- out the nation are being made through the use of radioactive ma- terials.I Through the Atomic Eenergy Commission at Oak Ridge, radio- isotopes such as radioactive cobalt needles are distributed as an in- expensive substitute for radium. Atomic Tracers Materials easily assimilated by the human body are radioactivat- ed and used as tracers to tell doc- tors how the body operates nor- mally or when it is diseased. Some encouraging results in di- rect treatment have also been noted. For this purpose, the most spectacular results have been ob- tained by exposing diseased parts of the body to the radiations of radioactive isotopes. Until now this method has been effective,nthough not miraculous, in treating thyroid cancer, poly- cythemia vera (an ailment of the marrow of the bone) leukemia and some tumors. Power Use Uncertain For would-be neophyte indus- trialists, the best advice up to now indicates that it will be wise to stick to conventional sources of power such as coal, oil or natural gas. Expert opinion believes that a workable demonstration plant producing atomic power will be in operation within a decade, but commercial plants will probably lag several years behind. Most scientists, however, doubt that commercial atomic power will be appreciably cheaper than con- ventional power. Still, it is considered likely that public utility power plants produc- - Photo- by Alex Lmanian -Engraving Courtesy The Detroit News RAW MATERIAL-Henry Gomberg, University of Michigan graduate student unpacks a radio-iodine shipment sent from government controlled atomic energy centers. Starting with this and other isotopes as "raw materials" the Phoenix Project will probe mbdical and scientific fields in an attempt to use the atom for the benefit of humanity. * * * ing energy for homes and indus- trial users will eventually convert, followed by naval vessels, other ships and locomotives. Industrial Uses Use of radioactive material in production and industrial research is already underway in some fields. Radioactive sulphur, for exam- ple, solved a perplexing problem for the rayon industry. Just plain old ordinary sulphur used in the process of manufacture must be removed. When a pinch of radio sulphur is tossed in, it gives off rays ,that can be detected by a Geiger until all the sulphur is removed. Oil geologists use radioactive tracers to seek the richer oil strata and probe the limits of the old fields. Coming, but too late to help the United States in its foreign relief program, is more food for the world through the atomic control df diseases of plants and livestock and improved use of fertilizer. Research in fluorocarbons, nec- essary for the manufacture of atom bombs, has already produced a lubricating oil that will not burn. It may be a long time before all of these prospects are realized, but the Phoenix Project will speed the way. T'' Scientists Again Massed For Research t A tom for Peace Goal This Time The "Phoenix Project" will blend the University's entire sci- entific and research facilities into a drivecfor technical pogress for the second time in less than ten years. Now it is in an effort to harness the atom for peace, but during le war years, the weight of Univer- sity scientific experience went in- to the development of weapons of destruction. The results were out- standing. 'U' professors and staff members worked on projects ranging from the atom bomb to anti-malarial drugs. While the atom bomb was born under the football stadium at the University of Chicago in 1942. Michigan men had their share in its development. Prof. James M. Cork of the physics department, Professors G. C. Brown, Clarence A. Siebert and E. M. Baker of the engineering school worked on various phases of the bomb. Last year, Dean Ralph A. Sawyer of the graduate school served as technical advisor of the Bikini tests. Atomic Center Since 1929, the University has been a center for atomic develop- ment. Such noted scientists as En- rico Fermi, J. Robert Oppenheimn- er and Ernest O. Lawrence of cy- clotron fame have lectured here, trying to iron out the problems of nuclear physics. The University built a cychotron in 1935 and is now constructing a] more powerful syncytron. Using them, Professors David M. Denni- son and H. R. Crane of th Phy- sics Department have been at- tempting to break down atomic nuclei to get cosmic rays. The proximity fuse, developed here by Prof. H. R. Crane and a crew of 25 picked scientists played a big part in the victory in Eur- ope. More than three years of ex- periment brought the fuse, which is exploded by radio waves at a pre-determined distance from its target, into production by Janu- ary 1943. Working at MIT, University professors S. A. Gouldsmit, G. E. Uhlenbeck and Dean B. McLaugh- lin helped perfect still-secret rad- ar devices. Instruments to "jam" enemy radar stations were devel- oped by Prof. W. G. Dow of the engineering school, at Harvard, Radar Jammers Prof. Dow supervised the con- struction of three "Tubas", giant 125'ton land-based radar jammers used to protect American planes over Europe. SN 7618, a white drug which can stop an attack of malaria in one fourth the time needed by older methods was another Uni- versity project. Michigan was one of the seven experiment stations where tests of the new drug were made. Dr. L. T. Goggeshall, of the public health school, headed the project. When Dr.. Coggeshall en- tered the navy in 1944, the anti- malaria work was continued by Dr. R. J. Porter. 'U' staff members also worked on penicillin. Prof. Werner E. Bachmann and Prof. Emeritus Harrison M. Randall of the phys- ics department aided in the syn- thesis of the wonder drug. With this vast reservoir of sci- tific and research experience be- hind it, the University stands ready to launch a peacetime atomic development program which will dwarf its wartime pro- gram. French Began Atom ,Studies 50 YearsAgo It was on a quiet summer day in 1945 that Ann Arbor was first exposed to the Atomic Age, but it was some 50 years earlier that the Atomic Era was born.I In 1896 Henri Becquerel discov- ered the radioactivity of uranium. This was the first step in the long development of atomic energy. It was followed two years later by the Curies' history-making separation of radium from pitchblende, after almost endless time and effort. Here is a brief history of the development of nuclear energy: 1904-Rutherford discovers Al- pha particle. 1905-Einstein announces equiv- alence of mass and energy. 1912-13-Bohr states theory of nuclear atom. 1919-Aston develops mass spec- tograph for isotope separation. 1930-Compton measures cos- mic ray intensities. 1932-First trjnsformation of elithium nuclei by artificially ac- celerated protons. 1932-35-Development of cyclo- tron and high voltage atom smashers. 1939-40-Discovery of artificial radioactivity by Irene Curie and F. Joliet. 1939-Discovery of uranium fis- sion by Hahn and Strassman in Germany. Extensive research car- ried on in the United States. 1939, March-Navy departmentj advised of possibility of fission. 1939, July-Einstein, Wigner and Szilard take steps to inform Presi- dent Roosevelt of the possibility of military utilization of atomic energy. 1940-42 - Gaseous - diffusion method of separating uranium iso- topes developed. 1941-Exchange of American and British scientists in a cooper- ation plan. 1941 - Preliminary studies of atomic bomb begun at the Uni- versity of Wisconsin. Work con- tinued by Oppenheimer at Uni- versity of California. 1942-First atomic pile built at University of Chicago. 1942 - Construction begun at Los Alamos, N. Mex., of atomic bomb laboratory. 1942, Fall-Design of large-scale diffusion plant at Oak Ridge be- gun. 1943-One thousand kw. pile constructed at Oak Ridge for pro- duction of plutonium. 1943-Plant at Hanford, Wash., for the production of plutonium designed. 1943-Large - scale mass - spec- Phoenix Myth The choice of the phoenix bird to represent the Univer- sity's war memorial injects a new and vital meaning into an ancient, sacred symbol of re- birth. According to legends dating as far back as 450 B.C., this fabulous bird mysteriously flew out of Arabia every 500 years and regenerated itself in a fiery ceremony. The most popular account of the bird appears in the Phy- siologus, a collection of Christ- ian allegories much read in the middle ages: "The bird flies to Heliopolis, enters the temple, and is burn- ed to ashes on the altar. Next day the young phoenix is al- ready feathered, and on the third his pinions are full grown and he flies away." And so, out of the ashes and destruction of a war climaxed by the use of atomic .energy, the University's war memorial will arise, dedicated to the "re- birth of beauty and life." oect- Include II ..manis..c Aspect Sa'wyer IPrc4Iii.?'4 Sli idy 4)1 At14mi I pa ci oi n iItre, (ivilizaii The Phoenix Project will be of tremendous importance not only in the technological but in the sociological and humanistic fields, according to Dean Ralph A. Sawyer of the Graduate School. Dean Sawyer. who was the civilian technical director of the atomic bomb test at Bikini Atoll and who assisted in obtaining Atomic Energy Commission approval of the War Memorial Project predicted that the Project would "st udy all of the phases of the impacts of atomic ene-gy on civilization and culture." INational Implication "Current events bear out the fact that the implications of atomic ene-gy are being felt in every phase of our national life," he FRED SMITH .his dander up Unrestricted Thinking Basis For Research Nucleus of the Phoenix Project should be the "free,unhampered thinking of brilliant and nimble minds," according to Dr. Fred Jenner Hodges. (Dr. Hodges, nationally-known! University radiologist, has been doing research in radioactivity ever since the physics department and the Medical School began their spadework in nuclear phys- ics here back in 1931.) He adds that "almost by defini- tion, there can't be any fences around the Phoenix Project, be- cause their are no fences around science or the human mind." Once the men for the project have been selected, they should go ahead on their own, Dr. Hodges says. He adds that-by the same tok-' en-although the Phoenix Project will focus on atomic energy, it will come to include in ever-widening arcs all branches of science, and eventually, of the social sciences and the humanities. "Cutting across every field of knowledge will, in itself, be a real memorial for the whole University, because it will include every phase of University life," Dr. Hodges asserts. Critieiism o Country Statts Phoen ix Ide Smith Finds Failure To Coordinate Efforts This is the story of the man who conceived the idea of a peacetime atomic energy research center in tribute to University war dead. It's about Fred Smith, one-time University student and an Ameri- can ever Aensitive to foreign criticism of this country's efforts. Smith, a tall, greying, 39-year-old New York publishing executive,, got his dander up over a statement by a high placed official in the French Government. French Charge The French official charged that while Americans devoted all their energy toward creating the atom bomb to win the war, they had done nothing to aid humanity through this tremendous discov- ery. Smith set out to prove that this French official was wrong. But after extensive resear-ch Smith discovered that actuallyhno con- certed effort had yet been made by Americans to harness this power for humanity. Sporadic Efforts True, there were scattered, spo- radic, research efforts. But no- where was there anything on the scope of the Manhattan Project which bent the full resources of the nation to exploring the de- structive attributes of atomic en- ergy. When he learned of the Univer- sity War Memorial Committee's search for a suitable tribute to war dead he suggested this re- search center. The committee picked it up from there, but Smith continued to play a vital role in developing the proj- ect to its present stage. It was Smith who suggested the center be titled the Phoenix Project, em- bodying the idea of a new enlight- enment from flame and ashes. Noted Career This is not the first time that this man has dropped private in- terests to serve the nation. His ca- reer carries notations like "Asst. to Secretary of the U. S. Treas- ur, Asst. to President, Bretton Woods International Conference, member National Labor-Manage- ment Conference." His private in- terests have been varied. He has held numerous executive positions and is currently consultant to Book-of-the Month Club and As- sociate Editor the United Nations World. He attended the University of Michigan in 1924-26, establish- ing his lifelong friendship with Dean Erich Walter. It was through Walter that he learned of the War Memorial Committee's search for a suitable tribute. continued. "The fields of econom- ics, philosophy, political science, medicine and law will be greatly affected as well as those of physics and chemistry." "So it can be seen," Dean Saw- yer said, "that whole new con- cepts have arisen in every field because of the discovery of atomic energy-and one of the tasks of the Phoenix Project will be to study and evaluate them." Dean Sawyer revealed that the War Memorial Project would use existing facilities on the campus until funds are provided for a Memorial building and equipment. But he emphasized that the Pro- ject's work would in no way inter- fere with the work of any depart- ment of the University. All Forms of Research "On the contrary," he said, "the Phoenix Project plans to provide funds to support other depart- ments in work which is connected with any form of atomic research." "It is hopeO, too," he added, "that the Project will support re- search professorships and fellow- ships to permit investigators to devote full time and energy to problems connected with peace- time uses and implications of atomic energy." Largest Scope According to Dean Sawyer, the Phoenix Project is conceived on a broader basis than any existing institution for the investigation of atomic energy. "We all hope," Dean Sawyer stated, "that it will not only have profound influence on all parts of the University but also, through the results of its study, will exert a widespread influence for good throughout the entire nation." Phoenix Plans To Supplement Current Study Currently five categories of atomic research are being carried on under government and private sponsorship. The Phoenix Project will not duplicate this work, but will carry on where it stops. The categories include: 1. Generation of power from atomic fission. 2. Atomic powered aircraft. 3. Production of rare metalis and rare earths. 4. Study of experimental work in radiation. 5. Production and distribution of radioactive isotopes for medical and other scientific research. It is where this fifth category ends that the Phoenix Project will begin. Utilizing already produced isotopes as "raw materials" the project will probe all fields of science and medicine. Phoenix Based On SL Plans For Memorial Functional Project To Honor U' War Dead The newly announced Phoenix Project springs from a Student Legislature proposal made Dec. 18, 1946. At a regular meeting of the stu- dent governing body the legisla- tors made the first campus sug- gestion that a functional war memorial be established as a trib- ute to University war dead. Joined Forces They later joined forces with the student - faculty - alumni War Memorial Committee in a search for a suitable tribute. Dave Dutcher, president of the present Student Legislature has greeted the announcement of Phoenix with promises that the Legislature "will do everyhing within our power to bring this project into a functional reality." Commends Plan In a statement to The Daily, Dutcher also declared that "Iever has a more commendable plan of action being proposed to our Uni- versity," and pointed out that be- sides the economic and medical advancement in peacetime uses of atomic energy made possible through the project, it will indi- cate to the world our desire for peace. Adding that the Phoenix Pro- ject makes all of us aware of the great role we can play in our own future, Dutcher suggested* that each student direct a letter to the editor of his hometown newspaper and do a real "selling job to ma- terially put across the new plan." UN Plans End fn Stalemate Follows Two-Year Atom Bridle Debate The establishment of the Uni- versity's center for directing atom- ic energy applications to peace comes on the heels of the break- down of negotiations to bridle the atom's war-making potential. Two years of debate within the United Nations ended in impasse last week. The Soviet Union would not accept the essentials of a majority plan for an inter- nati6nal atomic devtlopment au- thority. Seven members of the eleven - nation Atomic Energy Commission decided that further talking was futile unless Russia changes her mind. Atomic control had been put on the list of questions that would wait for an answer until the East- West split heals. The move to end the life of the Commission had been brewing for weeks. The writing on the wall was the suspension a month ago of the commission's two major committees - the Committee on Control and the Working Com- Initiative for the break came in a three-power resolution from the United States, France and Britain, chief advocates of the Baruch plan for international con- trol and inspection of atomic en- ergy's development. "It's appar- ent," a spokesman for the three nations said, "that this deadlock cannot be broken on the commis- sion level." WarDead .. . (Continued from Page 2) Wassell, Frank L., Jr.; Westport, Conn. Wassell, Harry B.; Westport, Conn. Waterman, Richard T.; Albany, N.Y. Webster, Thomas J.; North Hornell, N.Y. Westheihner, Ferdinand L.; Cincinnati, Ohio. White, William E.; Marion, N.Y. Wienner, Robert N.; Detroit, Mich. Wilcox, Albert P.; San Bruno, Calif. Wilkie, John C.; Detroit Mich. Willard, Dean D.; Bay City, Mich. Williams, Donald F.; Fairport, N.Y. Williams, Ralph H.; Bloomington, Ill Williams, WodnJn .: - Richland.Mic. Site Und (ecidled Although architects are already at work on possible plans for the War Memorial Rotunda and the other Phoenix Project buildings, no official decision has yet been made about where they will be placed on campus. 'ACTIVE SAY ON DECISIONS': Role of Three 'U' Vets in Project Emphasized Three student veterans - two men and a woman - played an active part in the selection and development of the Phoenix Pro- ject as members of the Univer- sity's War Memorial Committee. Since security restrictions im- posed on the Committee prevented an all campus selection of dele- gates, Chairman Erich Walter in- vited Virginia Smith, Arthur Rude and Arthur Derderian to act as representatives of the students in the choosing of their War Mem- orial. Backed Center According to Dean Walter, "The student members were the ones who kept constantly insisting and reiterating the notion that Mr. Smith's idea was the one we ought to explore and develop if possible." Miss Smith, a sophomore in the literary college, is a graduate nurse from New York City. She was se- lected as a member of the Com- mittee when it convened in Sep- tember because of her three and a half years service overseas in the Phoenix Project - that is their biggest single job," Rude declared. "By our own enthusiasm we must stir enthusiasm in others. The project is something that will put Michigan on the map of the world if the students get behind it." Arthur Derderian, third student member of the committee is a se- nior in the literary college and veteran of four years in the Navy. He first became interested in a War Memorial as a member of the 1947 J-Hop Committee, which con- sidered a J-Hop raffle to begin a drive for funds. Other students became interest- ed in a possible War Memorial and an official request was filed with the Regents, according to Derder- ian. Because of his interest in the project Dean Walter asked him to join the Committee the Regents later set up. "If the students get a spirit on campus of what the Phoenix Pro- ject can someday mean to man- kind, it will be felt throughout the entire world," he declared. The E. VIRGINIA SMITH ARTHUR M. RUDE ... enthusiasm is vital ... biggest single job ARTHUR R. DERDERIAN a peaceful future cations we didn't think it had a chance of succeeding," he said. Praised Smith1 was general agreement that the! Memorial should be more than aI nila of -rnn and hnuld h e _i-I Established Scholarships Rude, a law student, graduated from the literrv schnnl in 1942