What Hath God Wrought?
Plentiful Nuclear
Power or a Dead Earth
Silently Circling Its Sun
by Robert B. Gordon,
Sc. D.
November 28, 2006
FOREWORD
I wish to begin this essay with the eloquent words of one of the most brilliant minds and also perhaps the greatest speaker and leader in the history of the English speaking world. When I was growing up between World Wars I and II, "Winnie" was one of my favorites on the radio for his amazing brains and speaking ability. He had a tremendous part of our winning the second world war. Let us remember this amazing warning for our future - a remarkable gift for us all.
A
PROPHETIC STATEMENT FROM THE GREATEST SPEAKER
AND LEADER OF THE FREE ENGLISH SPEAKING WORLD
from "The Aftermath"
by Winston S. Churchill, 1929
"Mankind . . . . has got into its hands, for the first time the tools by which it can unfailingly accomplish it own extermination . . . . Death stands at attention, obedient, expectant, ready to serve, ready to shear away the peoples en masse; ready if called on, to pulverize, without hope of repair, what is left of civilization. He awaits only the word of command.. He awaits it from a frail, bewildered being, long his victim, – now for one occasion only – his Master."
This unbelievably prophetic statement came from Churchill's brilliant mind. Of course, Churchill, in his long lifetime, had seen many millions of soldiers and innocent victims slaughtered by war. May his powerful words be a stern warning to all who read this essay. I hereby dedicate this work to his great memory.
MY BACKGROUND
I am not a nuclear bomb expert. When I graduated from MIT in 1939, many of my student friends and fellow graduates, and at least one professor, were recruited for the top secret Manhattan 'project". The great secret was well kept for my first clue was when the first bomb dropped on Japan.
My entire career was based on metallurgical research and from 1948 was based on nuclear power, first for the Nautilus which went to sea in 1955 as the world's first nuclear submarine and forerunner of our nuclear navy. Then, at Westinghouse in Pittsburgh, I headed the Father of the Nuclear Navy, Admiral Hyman G. Rickover's, dream to build the first nuclear power plant in the U.S. The design and materials used were entirely different from those in the Nautilus so Rickover had to build me a completely new pilotmanufacturing plant. The reactor was very small, only 15 megawatts vs. today's 1000 MW plants, 3 of which are 50 miles west of me in the Arizona desert. Well, the first reactor was built in a remarkably short time and, one hot day in July 1957, it was ready to start up with a signal from President Eisenhower in Washington DC.
This reactor startup caused me to receive a unique gift from the Admiral that went only to the distinguished guests and not to the Westinghouse executives and their wives at the startup celebration lunch under canvas on a very hot July day. Here is the story. The guests were the only ones to receive a small plastic replica of a Westinghouse TV set about 2 "by 3" and 6" high, with the top open to hold a variety of objects such as cards, pencils etc., a useful desk object. On the TV screen was a picture of the new nuclear power plant. I wanted one of these unusual objects and, the next day, I went to my big boss and asked for one and was told they were not available to Westinghouse employees. But, I didn't give up. Within the week I took the Admiral on one of my usual plant tours and, when he asked what I needed in the way of money for equipment etc. I asked for the little TV souvenir. Two weeks later my big boss called me to his office and reached into a desk drawer and said, smiling, "the Admiral phoned and asked me to give you this TV set." To this day, it has remained as one of my treasured souvenirs and may be almost unique for the guests had no special reason to keep or treasure their gift as I have mine for the past 50 years
AMERICAN PUBLIC OPINION
I have noticed very little attention in our public press to either nuclear power or bombs, so I decided to address this issue. There has been great coverage on the death of over 2000 soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan during the current fighting. Our nation was tremendously shocked by the loss of about 3000 in the terrorist attack on the World Trade towers, but the death of around 40,000 per year in auto crashes is accepted as a normal event. But, please note, every time a puff of steam arises from one of our 100 or more nuclear power stations, the citizens in the vicinity get very excited and there are big newspaper headlines. This happened 30 or more years ago in Pennsylvania, with little of no damage or injury, and caused the total cessation of building any more nuclear plants to this very day. Even worse, is the insanity in our Congress, that has delayed for decades, selecting a site for disposal of spent fuel rods from our many power plants. The plant owners have been forced to continually expand their highly secured water ponds for storage and are running out of space, as Congress refuses to act. On this subject of disposal of radioactive waste, I recently learned how the Navy disposes of their nuclear waste from submarines. They dig a hole and drop it in. How amazingly simple, but apparently Congress does not know how and where to even dig the hole. Will they ever learn? Perhaps a few letters from you dear readers would wake them up. This delay is a national disgrace and an expensive problem for our utility companies. Please write to your Congressman on this very serious and completely unnecessary problem due to ignorance of the needs of safe nuclear power.
NUCLEAR POWER FILLS THE WORLD'S GREAT NEED FOR CHEAP ELECTRICITY
In the years that the U.S. has been standing still, the rest of the World has been very busy. China has 20 nuclear electric power plants, and India has 10, now under construction or planned. Nearly all major, modem nations like England, France and Japan have their electricity nearly 100% nuclear while the U.S. is still clogging the atmosphere with coal and other heavily polluting, natural fuels.
There has been only one major accident from nuclear power plants, in Russia a generation ago. It was anticipated in advance by most world nuclear safety experts due to it's very poor design and lack of the usual safety device features used in all other countries. So the record, except for Russia, is 100% safe.
There are signs that thee U.S. will start building nuclear reactor plants soon since the need is now very great. In the interim, greatly improved designs are being completed that will lower the currently low cost of nuclear power – a real blessing for humanity. Let's hope our Congress gets moving again so we can catch up with the rest of the world. I personally regret this completely ridiculous delay in construction of needed nuclear power plants and hate to see our great lead in nuclear power lost due to ignorance and government stupidity. But please note that this minor tragedy is not in the same league as the subject of this essay. Disregarding the nuclear bomb buildup can kill us all.
So, with the U.S. finally joining in, the entire modem world will ultimately enjoy the benefits of safe and cheap nuclear power that, under Rickover's leadership, I had the great honor to initiate in our country.
DISCUSSION OF THE TREMENDOUS NUCLEAR BOMB THREAT
We occasionally hear about the terrorist threat to build a suitcase‑size bond that can be carried and exploded anyplace in the World, like New York City, which is especially vulnerable to such an attack. That small nuke could kill one million people but would never produce an empty, unpopulated Planet Earth.
That terrible fate for the Earth was first suggested by Winston Churchill in 1929, many years before the first bomb was dropped on Hiroshima.
Then, later, Albert Einstein spoke out from his great concern" Since the opening of the Nuclear Age, everything has changed save our modes of thinking and we thus drift for ultimate catastrophe."
NUCLEAR BOMBS, STOCKPILED BY THE MANY THOUSANDS, ARE A REAL THREAT TO OUR PLANET.
With tens of thousands of nuclear bombs, now stockpiled in 8 countries, and others being built in North Korea and Iran, we already have more than enough destructive power to depopulate the earth. There are many scenarios that could predict this ultimate calamity. Let's suggest one of many possibilities.
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Syria invades Israel, a tiny country with no natural defenses.
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Israel bombs Iran, it's deadly enemy, and supplier to Syria.
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Russia, for no known reason, bombs Israel.
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England and the United States bomb Iran and parts of Russia.
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China bombs S. Korea, Japan and Taiwan.
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Israel bombs Moscow.
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India and Pakistan bomb each other.
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North Korea bombs the United States.
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U.S. bombs China and North Korea.
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Our readers may continue if they wish
WHAT OUR READERS CAN DO RIGHT NOW
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Stop writing to the President and your Senator about Iraq right now.
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Start writing about the terrible number of "nukes" ready to drop.
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Begin a discussion group in your local church, school, or community.
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Demand more pertinent news updates from your local newspaper.
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Remember there is no escape when the bombs start to fall
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E-mail this essay to as many as possible.
WHAT OUR READERS SHOULD NOT DO NOW
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Dig a cave in your back yard as in the Cuban Missile Crisis with Russia.
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Fail to inform your friends and neighbors of this very serious problem.
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Forget this very real "END OF THE WORLD" scenario.
SOME SUGGESTED READING
Our readers would be surprised on the number and quality of books on the danger of nuclear bombs destroying the earth's entire population of living things.
Nuclear
Terrorism: The Ultimate Preventable Catastrophe by Graham
Allison, 2004
Graham Allison's Nuclear Terrorism is absolutely first-rate. Our
survival as a civilization may well depend more than anything else on
our heeding the recommendations of this chilling and superbly crafted
book. R. James Woolsey, former Director of Central Intelligence.
Opening quotation: Since the opening of the
Nuclear Age everything has changed save our modes of thinking and we
thus drift for ultimate catastrophe. Albert Einstein
The
War Complex: World War II in Our Time by Marianna Torgovnick, 2005
An audacious
wide-ranging cultural critique of how World War II has entered
contemporary modem memory and consciousness. This is an important and
illuminating book that will have a large and receptive audience.
James E. Young. Important Chapters: After 9/11, Hiding in Plain Sight,
1) Day, Eichmann's Ghost, Citizens of the Holocaust, Hiding in Plain
Sight, They are Ever Returning to Us, the Dead
Terrorism,
Dirty Bombs and Weapons of Mass Destruction by Jason Porterfield,
2005
A small book,
latest in a series of 12 on this subject.
"Living
With the Bomb - 60 Year Later" National Geographic Magazine,
August 2005, pp. 99-113.
Subtitle: 60 years
after Hiroshima, eight nations–maybe
more–have
nuclear weapons. Terrorists want them too. How safe is the world from
the ultimate weapon? This
readily available, beautifully illustrated article, makes a good place
to start your reading.
A FINAL WORD
I sincerely hope that many readers will be moved to reach these conclusions:
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There are more important things going on than SEX, CARS and SPORTS.
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Our world is constantly CHANGING whether we are aware if it or not.
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Events occurring far away may be closer to YOU than you may realize.
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Whether we know it or not, our planet may LOSE ALL of its inhabitants unless people of the free world unite to protect themselves.
© 2006 Robert B. Gordon, Sc.
D.
Dr,
Gordon's Editorial Archive
Dr.
Gordon had emergency heart surgery and is recuperating.
Greetings and well wishes can be forwarded by his son.
Dr.
Robert B. Gordon
c/o Roger Gordon
1488 Cynthia Lane
El Cajon, CA 92019