"We Almost Lost Detroit by J.G Fuller (Reader's Digest Press, $8.95) is a landmark in the history of yellow journalism. The title refers to an incident at the experimental Fermi I breeder reactor in 1966, and though this is not the only subject of the book, it should do as a sample of Fuller's reporting, for the facts are very simple: On October 5, 1966, a metal plate broke loose in the reactor, partially blocking the flow of coolant to two (yes, two!) out of the 100 fuel rods; the two rods overheated and some of their fuel melted. The reactor was promptly shut down and all safety systems worked as planned. No significant radiation escaped the steel vessel, let alone the containment building, let alone making the 30 miles to Detroit, let alone harming a Detroit fly. The reactor was later rebuilt and resumed operation.

"That is how we almost lost Detroit. (As in all "incidents," a wealth of public documents is available. For details, write AIF, 7101 Wisconsin Ave. Wash., DC 20014. See also "Why we didn't almost lose Detroit," Detroit Engineer, Dec. 1975).

"There is nothing in the book that would make the reader suspect what the simple truth about Fermi I was. Far from explaining that the very first line of defense worked in Fermi's system of defense in depth, or that a disaster was improbable even if all of the core had melted, Fuller tries to make out that a nuclear plant requires infallible people and perfect technology. But his main weapon is "the truth, but not the whole truth, "and to paraphrase his method, one might state that "ever since he wrote his book, Mr. Fuller has not raped a single woman, at least not in broad daylight."

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