want you to investigate for maxima both in period and intensity as well as
for minima. I want you to drop the strictly utilitarian approach and make
an exhaustive research along lines which we will work out in greater detail
later.”
She started to say something but he cut in ahead of her. “A really thorough
program of research should prove more helpful in the long run to your
original purpose than a more narrow one. And I shall make it my business to
expedite every possible facility for such a research. I think we may turn
up a number of interesting things.”
He left immediately, giving her no time to discuss it. He did not seem to
want to talk on the way back and I held my peace. 1 think he had already
gotten a glimmering of the bold and drastic strategy this was to lead to,
but even Manning could not have thought out that early the inescapable
consequences of a few dead fish—otherwise he would never have ordered the
research.
No, I don’t really believe that. He would have gone right ahead, knowing
that if he did not do it, someone else would. He would have accepted the
responsibility while bitterly aware of its weight.
1944 wore along with no great excitement on the surface. Karst got her new
laboratory equipment and so much additional help that her department
rapidly became the largest on the grounds. The explosives research was
suspended after a conference between Manning and Ridpath, of which I heard
only the end, but the meat of it was that there existed not even a remote
possibility at that time of utilizing U235 as an explosive. As a source of
power, yes, sometime in the distant future when there had been more
opportunity to deal with the extremely ticklish problem of controlling the
nuclear reaction. Even then it seemed likely that it would not be a source
of power in prime movers such as rocket motors or mobiles, but would be
used in vast power plants at least as large as the Boulder Dam
installation.
After that Ridpath became a sort of co-chairman of Karst’s department and
the equipment formerly used by the explosives department was adapted or
replaced to carry on research on the deadly artificial radioactives.
Manning arranged a division of labor and Karst stuck to her original
problem of developing techniques for tailor-making radioactives. I think
she was perfectly happy, sticking with a one-track mind to the problem at
hand. I don’t know to this day whether or not Manning and Ridpath ever saw
fit to discuss with her what they intended to do.
As a matter of fact, I was too busy myself to think much about it. The
general elections were coming up and I was determined that Manning should
have a constituency to return to, when the emergency was over. He was not
much interested, but agreed to let his name be filed as a candidate for
re-election. I was trying to work up a campaign by remote control and
cursing because I could not be in the field to deal with the thousand and
one emergencies as they arose.
I did the next best thing and had a private line installed to permit the
campaign chairman to reach me easily. I don’t think I violated the Hatch
Act, but I guess I stretched it a little. Anyhow, it turned out all right;
Manning was elected, as were several other members of the citizen-military
that year. An attempt was made to smear him by claiming that he was taking
two salaries for one job, but we squelched that with a pamphlet entitled
“For Shame!” which explained that he got one salary for two jobs. That’s
the Federal law in such cases and people are entitled to know it.
It was just before Christmas that Manning first admitted to me how much the
implications of the Karst-Obre process were preying on his mind. He called
me into his office over some inconsequential matter, then did not let me
go. I saw that he wanted to talk.
“How much of the K-O dust do we now have on hand?” he asked suddenly.