The CBS Report That Helped 'Silent Spring' Be Heard

In the report, Sevareid imparts a ton of information, giving both sides room enough to ruminate. He traces the postwar development of the pesticide industry and says that each year the environment is bombarded with 900 million pounds of pesticide. This was back when a "60 Minutes"-type story lasted a full 60 minutes. There are interviews and readings from newspaper excerpts. There is period film footage, including a shot of kids walking along a street in the contrails of a mosquito-fogging truck.

Proponents of pesticides point out their benefits in the film. "When pesticides, registered pesticides, are used in accordance with label instructions and recommendations, then there is no danger to either man or to animals and wildlife," said Robert White-Stephens, a spokesman for American Cyanamid. In black-rimmed glasses and lab coat, surrounded by beakers and lab equipment, he is the perfect counterpoint to Carson, who sits on a porch or in a den and comes across as a straightforward, nature-loving schoolteacher. Representatives from the federal government argue throughout the report that chemicals curb disease and save lives.

In a dark suit and flanked by a typewriter and books, Carson says, "We have to remember that children born today are exposed to these chemicals from birth, perhaps even before birth. Now what is going to happen to them in adult life as a result of that exposure? We simply don't know."

Diana Post says, "I was impressed with the fact that the government officials in the film were so forthcoming to speak with reporters. But I also felt that they were not as familiar with the subject as they should have been." The commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration said the book "causes all of us to take a new look at our responsibilities to the general public."

Secretary of Agriculture Orville Freeman told CBS that he thought the book would help the American people by "alerting them that we need to do more work, but we also need to be personally conscious. This is like anything else. The government isn't going to do it for you."

One person who did have working knowledge of Carson's thesis: President John F. Kennedy, who mentions her work at a news conference in the film.

So in more than 40 years, has anything changed?

Well, yes. Some substances, such as DDT, have been banned and the Environmental Protection Agency was formed. But others insist Carson's work hasn't been fulfilled. Citing an EPA report, Post says, "It's a paradox that right now we are using pesticides at a greater rate than when 'Silent Spring' was published."

Post adds: "The implication of that film is that we need to do a massive amount of research and consider these conditions being caused by chemicals. We haven't done all those things to a satisfactory degree."