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C00002 00002	INVITATION TO A MEETING WITH PROFESSOR HANS BETHE
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INVITATION TO A MEETING WITH PROFESSOR HANS BETHE

There appears to be a substantial danger that the anti-nuclear
movement will succeed in forcing some kind of moratorium on nuclear energy.
It is already contributing substantially to the delays in developing
nuclear energy, and it is picking up many activists who were formerly
concerned with other issues.

In our opinion, nuclear energy is safe enough and can be made safer, so
that it is important that the country rely on it for the major part of
its new electric power generation given that the oil and gas presently used
for this purpose should be reserved for transportation and chemical
purposes.

A major reason for the political strength of the anti-nuclear movement
is that its only organized opposition comes from the utilities who
have a commercial interest in the matter.

Recently, Professor Hans Bethe of Cornell University, a Nobel Laureate
in physics, has become concerned with the danger that America will not
solve its energy problem, and a group of prominent scientists organized
by him  issued the enclosed statement, which unfortunately got rather
little publicity in the media.

Professor Bethe is visiting Stanford for a few weeks and is giving several
lectures on the Energy Problem - at SLAC on March 12 and March 17 at 4pm
and in Physics 100 at 4pm on March 12.  The lecture on March 13 will be
a discussion of the objections to nuclear energy.

Professor Bethe has agreed to discuss the politics of saving nuclear
energy at 8pm on March 17 at the home of Professor Thomas Connolly,
855 Lathrop Drive, Stanford.  This letter is an invitation to that
meeting.  You are welcome to bring colleagues.  Please reply to Professor
Connolly at 497-4021 during the day.