Friday, 21 June 1991
Washington DC
1. SDI CHIEF HENRY COOPER RECOMMENDED "RELAXING" THE ABM
TREATY
in Senate hearings on SDI yesterday. The 1972 ABM
Treaty limits each side to defending a single location. The
Soviets selected Moscow, while the US picked North Dakota. But
Global Protection Against Limited Strikes (GPALS), the current
Bush administration justification for SDI, calls for protecting
the whole world from a limited attack. According to Cooper, six
sites are needed just to protect the US. Cooper also warned that
the Soviet Union remains "...the only power on Earth capable of
destroying the US in 30 minutes." Even without the multiple ABM
sites, however, GPALS would abrogate the ABM Treaty by testing
Brilliant Pebbles (WN 14 Jun 91).
Senators who can usually be counted on to restore money the House
cuts from SDI are worried that they will be left with a
diplomatic mess. Meanwhile, Gregory Canavan of Los Alamos,
writing in Space News, argues that for defense against shorter
range missiles it might be enough to use "dumb pebbles."
2. SENATE APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE FINDS A LITTLE MONEY FOR
PORK!
Sen. Mark Hatfield (R-OR) is the ranking minority member on the
Appropriations Committee. He is being investigated for accepting
favors in return for helping certain universities, and old habits
die hard. The committee approved another $10M for the Oregon
Health Science University, the most frequent recipient of Sen.
Hatfield's benevolence. The purposed bill would also provide
$10M for an Institute for Micromanufacturing at Louisiana State
University and $6M for LSU's Biomedical Research Institute. Sen.
Bennett Johnston (D-LA) is the Chairman of the Energy and Water
Appropriations Subcommittee. At its April meeting, the Council
of the American Physical Society reaffirmed its opposition to
federal funding of scientific research facilities and projects
that have not been subjected to review by impartial experts.
3. CERN REMOVES RESTRICTION ON PUBLICATION OF RESEARCH
RESULTS.
While denying it has ever been the policy of CERN to restrict
publication to European journals Director General Carlo Rubbia
announced that it is not the policy now. CERN scientists have
adhered to the non-policy since CERN was established. This
removes a long-standing source of friction between CERN and the
American Physical Society, which publishes the Physical Review.
4. THE COLD FUSION INSTITUTE AT THE UNIVERSITY OF UTAH WILL
CLOSE
its doors at the end of this month when its funding
runs out.
5. HOW, YOU MIGHT ASK, DID THE CONFUSION BETWEEN PACKARDS
OCCUR?
(See WHAT'S NEW, 14 June 91). Apparently Rep. Tom Campbell (R-CA)
included a statement by DAVID PACKARD in remarks he intended to
insert in the June 5 Congressional Record. According to Rep.
Campbell's office, the overworked staff of the Congressional
Record mistakenly assumed the industrialist's comments were from
Congressman RON PACKARD (R-CA), who is a former dentist.
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