David R. Inglis

Wind Power Now

Harnessed by methods which are already well known, the wind could soon supply a substantial fraction of our energy needs at an economical cost; yet the governments pace is inexcusably slow. A prompt start might unshackle the United States from its nuclear ball and chain

Missile Defense, Nuclear Spread, and Vietnam

“The ABM problem is a peculiar one, for improving ones stance by purely defensive weapons seems at first obviously benign. Yet, ABM deployment would have complicated effects on the future course of the arms race and the likelihood of nuclear war.” The author of the following article is a senior physicist at the Argonne National Laboratory and a frequent contributor to the Bulletin.

A Deal Before Midnight

The two preceding articles show sharply how great an influence technological change can have in the shaping of our foreign and domestic policies. The concern of scientists that members of the higher echelons of government be kept continuously informed of technological development is reflected in the proposals presented below by two scientists who worked on the Manhattan project at Los Alamos, and who are now with the Argonne National Laboratory, at Chicago.

Nuclear Energy and the Malthusian Dilemma

In trying to avoid the extreme Malthusian catastrophe, expanded efforts should be made to develop safe and plentiful nuclear power while meeting the real needs of the near future by moderating unwarranted demands and improving conventional techniques. Instead, the present premature proliferation of commercial nuclear plants is prolonging extravagant consumption and accelerating the Malthusian threat. David Inglis is a member of the department of physics and astronomy at the University of Massachusetts.

Prospects and Problems: The Nonmilitary uses of Nuclear Explosives

In undertaking this assessment of the prospective peaceful uses of nuclear explosives, the authors have been motivated by interest in its technical and economic aspects and in its close relationship with the vital problems of nuclear arms control.Dr. Inglis is senior physicist at Argonne National Laboratory; Dr. Sandler is affiliated with the Academy of Interscience Methodology.

The Rest of the Test Ban

Nine years ago, Dr. Inglis proposed a ban on nuclear tests in the pages of the Bulletin in one of the first public discussions of the issue. Here Dr. Inglis urges that the partial test-ban treaty now achieved be followed by a comprehensive one.

The Congressional Hearings on Technical Aspects of Test Control

These hearings were sponsored by two subcommittees of the Joint Committee on Atomic Energy, under the chairmanship of Representative Chet Holifield, April 19–22, 1960. The full testimony is to be released shortly. Dr. Inglis is a staff member of Argonne National Laboratory, and was recently chairman of the Federation of American Scientists.

The New Working Paper and U. S. Atomic Policy

How realistic are the new U.S. proposals for a world arms census, and does the emphasis on “inspection” in the plan indicate a possible change of U.S. policy on the techniques necessary for effective control of atomic energy? These are the questions Mr. Inglis discusses in this appraisal of the working paper which the United States recently submitted to the U.N. Disarmament Commission and which is printed in full on pages 135–38 of this issue. Mr. Inglis, a member of the staff of the Argonne National Laboratory, is the author of two articles on the atomic control problem which appeared in the October 1951 and March 1952 issues of the Bulletin.