R.E. Lapp, 87, Physicist in Cold-War Debate on Civil Defense, Dies

[Tangledog]

Thought some people would want to know about the passing of Dr. Ralph Lapp. His book Man and Space was a favorite in my formative years.

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/09/10/national/10lapp.html

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In the matter-of-fact, practical tone characteristic of discussions of nuclear war at the time, he gave an outline of how to build a bomb shelter, discussed how radiation levels would drop quickly in the days after a blast, and added, "If you go to the trouble of building a fallout shelter, then with somewhat more effort and expense you can beef up the shelter and build in a margin of blast protection.''

But Dr. Lapp also warned of the growing power of atomic weapons and the hazards of fallout. While advocating preparations for nuclear war, he was also a vigorous proponent of the ban on atmospheric nuclear tests.
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