A Crystal Ball in the Shadows of Nuremberg and Hiroshima: The Ethical Debate over Human Experimentation to Develop a Nuclear-Powered Bomber, 1946–1951

  • Gilbert Whittemore
Chapter
Part of the Sociology of the Sciences book series (SOSC, volume 12/1/2)

Abstract

The theme of this volume, and of the conference at which these papers were first delivered, is the interaction of science and technology with the military, especially in the modern arms race. One of the major purposes of the conference was to examine critically “the appearance of an inaccessible and unquestionable scientific rationality” that may result from “a growing scienticization and technization of military policy.” When examined historically, how well do the actual decision-making processes conform to this ideal? To what extent are factors that in theory are excluded by the alleged rationality, in practice actually considered? Often when asking this question people have in mind considerations such as the institutional interests of the armed forces or the financial interests of private manufacturers. However, the claim of rationality also seems to exclude a very different set of concerns: ethical arguments. A breakdown in the claimed rationality need not always signify that forces of narrow interest and greed are let loose; it may also signify the inclusion of important social values in the decision-making process.

Keywords

Human Experimentation Atomic Energy Commission Ethical Argument Aircraft Industry Institutional Interest 
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Notes

  1. 1.
    I must confess that I stumbled upon the material by accident, while researching the general history of radiation safety standards. This suggests that much more material on this debate and others might be uncovered by a deliberate search. Ironically, shortly after this conference, similar ethical issues were presented to a broad audience in the movie “Project X,” which portrays a modern radiation endurance experiment on chimpanzee “pilots.”Google Scholar
  2. 2.
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  77. 77.
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    Eisenhower resisted, telling his aides to drag their feet, until a reactor light enough to fly was actually operating; “Memo, Bryce Harlow, Special Assistant to the President, June 26, 1957,” Declassified Documents Reference System (Washington, D.C.: Carrollton Press, 1981), 394A. See also Lambright, op. cit., 1967 (2), pp. 17–18.Google Scholar
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    The Presidential Commission’s basic recommendation was the development and large-scale production of jet aircraft. Even in the portion of the report dealing with research and development, atomic propulsion received a perfunctory paragraph, while electronics and guided missiles each received two full pages; President’s Air Policy Commission, op. cit., 1948 (90), pp. 80–84.Google Scholar
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    Dr. Alan Gregg, Dr. Austin H. Brues, Dr. Simeon Cantril, Dr. Andrew H. Dowdy, Dr. Louis H. Hempelman, Dr. Robert F. Loeb, Dr. Curt Stern, and Dr. Shields Warren (ibid., p. 2).Google Scholar
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Copyright information

© Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht 1988

Authors and Affiliations

  • Gilbert Whittemore
    • 1
  1. 1.Harvard UniversityUSA

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