ATOMIC AGE: You’ll Like It

As the Atomic Age rolls on toward its lurid future, more & more people are losing their homes because of it. The U.S. Navy was as gentle as possible with the bewildered, evicted natives of Bikini; but the Navy could not explain. The Russian-German authorities in the scenic Erz Gebirge (Ore Mountains) of southern Saxony did not have to explain. The local Germans knew quite well that the Russians were mining pitchblende (uranium ore) as fast as possible, and they knew what the ore was for.

Lately, however, the evictions have been carried out with a good deal of politeness. Twenty thousand mine workers were due to arrive in the town of Marienberg; housing was needed. To Marienbergers tapped for eviction, the bürgermeister distributed a circular: “The City of Marienberg will have to accommodate a large number of miners, some of whom will bring their families along. In order to arrange this . . . all persons who are unable to do mining work will be transferred to Olbernhau. . . .

“You will receive detailed information within the next few days when to move to Olbernhau, where you will certainly like it as Olbernhau remains unaffected by mining. . . .”