Sid Caesar; native American rights; and more; Talking around the threat; Nukespeak, by Steven Hilgartner, Richard C. Bell, and Rory O'Connor. San Francisco: Sierra Club Books. 282 pp. $14.95.

Three Mile Island was not an accident; it was an ''abnormal evolution.'' Safety reports are not doctored; they are ''word engineered.'

These terms belong to the vocabulary of ''nukespeak,'' a dialect peculiar to proponents of nuclear power and weapons. It's not merely doubletalk, but a whole way of thinking, and its use can hinder dialogue between pronuclear forces and their critics.

The aim of ''Nukespeak'' is ''to help readers understand the language, visions, and mindset underlying nuclear development.''