Radiation damage effects in the optical transmission of bulk material due to **6**0Co gamma irradiations were measured in samples of barium fluoride (BaF//2) and cesium fluoride (CsF). While confirming the exceptional radiation resistance of barium fluoride in the visible and ultraviolet regions of the transmission spectrum, at least up to a gamma dose of a few times 10**7 rad, the results show that cesium fluoride, at least in the presently available samples, is very sensitive to radiation and that doses below 10**4 rad are sufficient to make it completely unusable.