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␈↓ ↓H␈↓∧␈↓ ¬X846 Lathrop Drive
␈↓ ↓H␈↓∧␈↓ ¬'Stanford, California 94305
␈↓ ↓H␈↓∧Telephone 415 857-0672␈↓ 
-July 7, 1980




␈↓ ↓H␈↓Editorial Page Editor
␈↓ ↓H␈↓␈↓↓Peninsula Times Tribune␈↓
␈↓ ↓H␈↓P.O. Box 300
␈↓ ↓H␈↓Palo Alto, CA 94302

␈↓ ↓H␈↓To the Editor:

␈↓ ↓H␈↓        Mr.␈α∂Laut␈α∞Wade's␈α∂July␈α∂3␈α∞letter,␈α∂calling␈α∞the␈α∂Stanford␈α∂Linear␈α∞Accelerator␈α∂Center␈α∂(SLAC)␈α∞a
␈↓ ↓H␈↓waste␈α
of␈α
money␈α
su≥ers␈α
from␈α
errors␈α
of␈α
fact␈αand␈α
mistaken␈α
values.␈α
 SLAC␈α
is␈α
one␈α
of␈α
the␈αnation's␈α
three
␈↓ ↓H␈↓centers␈α
of␈α
experimental␈α
research␈α
in␈α
high␈α
energy␈αphysics␈α
-␈α
the␈α
study␈α
of␈α
the␈α
fundamental␈αparticles
␈↓ ↓H␈↓that␈αmake␈αup␈α
the␈αuniverse␈αand␈αthe␈α
forces␈αbetween␈αthese␈αparticles.␈α
 Such␈αstudies␈αare␈α
important␈αto
␈↓ ↓H␈↓humanity for two reasons:

␈↓ ↓H␈↓        1.␈α∞They␈α∞help␈α∞satisfy␈α∂mankind's␈α∞permanent␈α∞curiosity␈α∞about␈α∞the␈α∂world␈α∞we␈α∞live␈α∞in.␈α∂ While␈α∞I
␈↓ ↓H␈↓understand␈αthe␈α
discoveries␈αmade␈α
at␈αSLAC␈α
(for␈αexample␈α
those␈αfor␈α
which␈αProfessor␈αBurton␈α
Richter
␈↓ ↓H␈↓got␈αthe␈αNobel␈αPrize)␈αonly␈αat␈αthe␈αlevel␈αof␈α
a␈αreader␈αof␈α␈↓↓Scienti≡c␈αAmerican␈↓,␈αit␈αis␈αimportant␈αto␈αme␈α
that
␈↓ ↓H␈↓those␈α
who␈α
are␈α
quali≡ed␈α
and␈α
specialized␈α
in␈α
it␈α
advance␈α
our␈α
collective␈α
understanding␈α
of␈α
this␈αaspect␈α
of
␈↓ ↓H␈↓our world.

␈↓ ↓H␈↓        Admittedly␈α∩not␈α∩everyone␈α∩is␈α∩curious␈α∩about␈α∩how␈α∩the␈α∩world␈α∩is␈α∩constructed␈α∩or␈α∩even␈α∩cares
␈↓ ↓H␈↓whether␈αanyone␈α
knows␈αabout␈α
such␈αthings.␈α
 Moreover,␈αthe␈α
physics␈αof␈α
elmentary␈αparticles␈α
seems␈αto
␈↓ ↓H␈↓be unavoidably expensive.  However, there are arguments for the narrowly practical.

␈↓ ↓H␈↓        2.␈αHigh␈α
energy␈αphysics␈αmay␈α
eventually␈αhave␈αpractical␈α
applications␈αeven␈αthough␈α
they␈αaren't
␈↓ ↓H␈↓presently␈α
apparent.␈α
 Only␈α
a␈αfew␈α
years␈α
before␈α
the␈αdiscovery␈α
of␈α
nuclear␈α
≡ssion,␈α
Ernest␈αRutherford,
␈↓ ↓H␈↓the␈α
founder␈αof␈α
nuclear␈α
physics,␈αdeclared␈α
in␈αthe␈α
1930s␈α
that␈αhe␈α
could␈α
see␈αno␈α
practical␈αapplication␈α
for
␈↓ ↓H␈↓it.␈α Today,␈αthe␈α
completed␈αreactors␈αat␈αDiablo␈α
Canyon,␈αonce␈αthe␈αGovernment␈α
gets␈αover␈αits␈αpanic␈α
and
␈↓ ↓H␈↓lets␈α∞them␈α∞be␈α∞turned␈α∞on,␈α∞will␈α∞produce␈α∞2200␈α∞megawatts␈α∞of␈α∞power,␈α∞enough␈α∞for␈α∞600,000␈α∞people␈α∞and
␈↓ ↓H␈↓more␈α
than␈α
24␈α
times␈αthat␈α
used␈α
by␈α
SLAC.␈α If␈α
Mr.␈α
Wade␈α
has␈αa␈α
general␈α
theory␈α
of␈α
science␈αpowerful
␈↓ ↓H␈↓enough␈α⊃to␈α∩assure␈α⊃us␈α⊃that␈α∩learning␈α⊃more␈α∩about␈α⊃elementary␈α⊃particles␈α∩will␈α⊃never␈α∩have␈α⊃practical
␈↓ ↓H␈↓applications, I hope he will publish it.

␈↓ ↓H␈↓        Mr.␈α
Wade␈αwrites␈α
as␈αthough␈α
energy␈αwere␈α
a␈α≡xed␈α
resource␈αand␈α
that␈αthe␈α
energy␈αnow␈α
used␈αby␈α
4
␈↓ ↓H␈↓billion␈α⊃people␈α⊃will␈α⊃have␈α⊃to␈α∩su≠ce␈α⊃for␈α⊃6␈α⊃billion␈α⊃at␈α⊃the␈α∩end␈α⊃of␈α⊃the␈α⊃century.␈α⊃ Partly␈α∩thanks␈α⊃to
␈↓ ↓H␈↓physicists␈αstudying␈αthe␈αstructure␈αof␈αmatter,␈αAmerica␈αcan␈αproduce␈αall␈αthe␈αenergy␈αit␈αis␈αlikely␈αto␈αneed
␈↓ ↓H␈↓or␈αwant␈αand␈αso␈αcan␈αthe␈αrest␈αof␈αthe␈αworld.␈α Not␈αonly␈αin␈αenergy␈αbut␈αin␈αevery␈αother␈α≡eld,␈αthere␈αis␈αno
␈↓ ↓H␈↓need␈α∞for␈α∞poverty␈α∞or␈α∞"diminished␈α∞expectations"␈α∞provided␈α∞we␈α∞put␈α∞to␈α∞use␈α∞the␈α∞technology␈α∞based␈α
on
␈↓ ↓H␈↓fundamental science.

␈↓ ↓H␈↓        Perhaps␈αMr.␈αWade␈αhas␈αone␈αlegitimate␈αcomplaint␈α-␈αthough␈αnot␈αagainst␈αSLAC.␈α Exhortations
␈↓ ↓H␈↓to␈αreduce␈αthe␈αconsumption␈αof␈αelectricity␈αmay␈αbe␈α
legitimate␈αin␈αtimes␈αof␈αcrisis,␈αbut␈αthere␈αis␈αno␈α
excuse
␈↓ ↓H␈↓for␈αthem␈αin␈αthe␈αlong␈αrun.␈α The␈αlong␈αterm␈αmaterial␈αshortage␈αis␈αof␈αpetroleum,␈αand␈αwe␈αmust␈αreplace
␈↓ ↓H␈↓its␈αuse␈αby␈αother␈αsources␈αof␈αenergy.␈α There␈αalso␈αseems␈αto␈αbe␈αa␈αmental␈αshortage␈αof␈αimagination␈αand
␈↓ ↓H␈↓of progressive spirit.
␈↓ ↓H␈↓Sincerely,



␈↓ ↓H␈↓John McCarthy