The cover

Underwater communication between submarines is a technical problem whicl has never been adequately solved, as is pointed out in the article by Beverly Dudley, "Human Responses in Communications Progress," on page 35. Mr. Dudley has made some very interesting analytical observations on the nature of this purely human problem and on the role of the senses in communication. As an illustration of the difficulties of transmitting ideas effectively from one area to another, Mr. Dudley points out that sound waves seem the only practicable means of sending information between submarines in the briny deep. The salinity of ocean water makes radio transmission impossible over any appreciable distance, and light beams are very quickly attenuated in water. The possibilities and difficulties of using beams of acoustical energy are discussed in the article.