Word: gruen
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Dates: during 1960-1969
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...standing morosely watching all the ladies go by-to the suburban shopping centers. It is the city's biggest dilemma in the age of the automobile: the stores have the goods, but where does the shopper park? After a few more years of this, says Planner-Architect Victor Gruen, the cities of America are going to be like doughnuts-"all the dough on the outside, and a hole in the middle...
Perhaps Mr. Gruen has had the good fortune of never experiencing even a 'natural' disaster, but those who have I feel sure resent his mockery of preparations to be made. '62, you said? You goddamn Harvard kids can laugh at a book like this now, but when such a war comes, you'll be the first in line to get food and clothing at public dispensaries. In the more severe cases, I feel that a Harvard Man will die of radiation just as soon as, if not sooner than any other American citizen...
...Gruen's approach to the book also fails to realize that it has been made available to meet a present need. As he so wittily points out, the effects of extended exposure to long-lived isotopes and to delayed fallout are not yet known in great detail. Mr. Gruen might have grounds for criticism in the fact that the latest facts about these effects are not published in Fallout Protection. But on the basis of most of our knowledge, the book makes the judgement that delayed fallout is not so serious a problem as the immediate radioactivity after a blast...
Furthermore, Mr. Gruen's review is characterized by a lack of real questioning into the matter. Until this article, I have felt that the CRIMSON did rather well covering stories outside of the individual reporter's field of study. But Mr. Gruen laughs at our lack of knowledge, apparently ignorant of the fact that knowledge in the field of radiation damage comes only after acquisition of data which in turn takes time. For example, may I cite the history of standards for radiation protection. It has been known for some time that man naturally is exposed to some .03 milliroentgens...
...nature of radiation damage, there is no 'safe' dose for either exposure or absorption and hence, history will probably show a similar pattern in the estimation of fallout radiation. Perhaps a better approach by Mr. Gruen would have been to seek opinions on this matter. At any rate, there are more serious aspects to Fallout Protection than evaluation of its 'exhilarating assonance' and ridicule of its suggested large pail in the fallout shelter for 'human waste.' Such things can be practical. Sincerely, John L. Frewing...