THE CONGRESS: A Certain Nervous Look

Twelve members of the Joint Congressional Atomic Energy Committee went to sea last week, for an overnight ride in the atomic submarine Nautilus. (Said California's Senator William Knowland: "This will be the deepest-thinking congressional committee meeting ever held.") Most Congressmen rushed back from their trip on the top-secret vessel full of enthusiasm and ready with tales of a night at sea.

Wrote Tennessee's Democratic Senator

Albert Gore for the Associated Press: "How deep the Nautilus can dive is a secret. But there is no secret that I had nervous twinges as she plunged down in excess of 300 feet. How fast she will race through the dark, briny depths is also a secret. But it was the thrill of a lifetime to break all previous records in this respect as the midnight hour approached . . . The food we ate was cooked by atomic power. The water we drank was distilled from ocean water by atomic energy. The submarine was not only driven but lighted, heated and air-conditioned by atomic energy . . .

"Though none of my colleagues would admit to being scared, they had a certain nervous look about them that made me think they felt like I did . . . Upon entering the reactor room I noticed Senator Pastore, Democrat, of Rhode Island, taking a quick glance at his [lapel instruments to test radioactivity]. Of course, I am sure it was entirely out of curiosity. I looked at mine, too . . . The atomic reactor was, of course, the center of interest. We were mere inches from lethal, deathly radioactivity. Yet, we could harmlessly place our hands on this still, warm, but quiet source of power . . .

"The captain ordered the Nautilus put through her paces. The throttle was opened. The propeller surged, and we excitedly watched the dials as we went faster—down, down, down, down. Then, up; then down. Straight ahead. Full power. The speedometer needle moved rapidly clockwise, receding only as the Nautilus took sharp banks and turns . .Then, up again; then, down again; up again; down again ... I asked Admiral [Hyman] Rickover how many days the Nautilus could proceed under water at full speed. 'Indefinitely,' he answered.'Long enough to go the distance around the world, and the answer would still be indefinite. ' " Back on dry land, the Senate and the House:

¶Set up, through the Joint Committee on Atomic Energy, an eight-man panel to study peaceful uses of atomic energy, their impact on the American way of life, the Atomic Energy Commission's peacetime role, and legislation that may be needed to speed the atom's peaceful development.

The House: ¶Approved an overhauling of the State Department's Foreign Service branch to weed out "deadwood" and to attract top-grade men. One attraction: an educational allowance for the children of Foreign Service officers stationed overseas. Cost: $442,000.

¶Passed a code for investigating committees that would ban one-man hearings, give any person involved in a hearing the right to subpoena witnesses with committee consent.

The Senate: ¶Passed the Administration bill extending present excise and corporation tax rates—the bill on which the Democrats, led by Sam Rayburn (TIME. March 7), had unsuccessfully attempted to tack a $20-a-person income-tax reduction.