Abolishing the Taboo by Brian Madison Jones

Author:Brian Madison Jones
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Bisac Code 1: HIS037030
ISBN: eBook ISBN: 9781907677809
Publisher: Helion and Company
Published: 2011-11-18T16:00:00+00:00

b. To the Constructive Purposes of Man

Throughout his presidency, Eisenhower placed a high priority on the development of atomic energy for electrical power and sought to create a balance between atomic weapons for national security and atomic energy for economic and industrial development. In that effort, he believed that private industry should be given every opportunity to succeed in the realm of atomic power because private industry could do so more effectively, more quickly, and at less cost to the American taxpayer. Accordingly, Eisenhower instructed Lewis Strauss, the Special Assistant to the President for Atomic Energy Affairs from 1953 to 1959, to work with the Atomic Energy Commission to prepare amendments to the Atomic Energy Act of 1946 in order to allow for the private development of atomic power. According to Richard Hewlett and Jack Holl, Eisenhower sought “to break the government monopoly” on atomic energy and “to find some redeeming value in nuclear technology.”22

For Eisenhower, the Atomic Energy Act of 1946 hampered progress in the development of private atomic power. Tight restrictions on the flow of scientific and technical knowledge greatly limited any entity other than the U.S. government from making any headway in developing atomic power. As army chief of staff Eisenhower had supported the Atomic Energy Act because he believed it provided the military with the means to promote American national security. But as a civilian executive he concluded that “in order to strengthen national security through a sound industry, it is essential that Government ownership of production facilities” be terminated.23 Eisenhower wanted the Commission to provide advice, assistance, and incentives to private companies pursuing atomic energy.24 To accomplish this, he knew that the law needed to be changed.

As Strauss prepared those revisions, Eisenhower took his argument about the need for peaceful atomic energy and the growth of industrial strength to the United Nations in December 1953. “The United States knows that peaceful power from atomic energy is no dream of the future,” he noted. “Who can doubt, if the entire body of the world’s scientists and engineers had adequate amounts of fissionable material with which to test and develop their ideas,” he queried, “that this capability would rapidly be transformed into universal, efficient, and economic usage.” To this end, he hoped “to hasten the day when the fear of the atom will begin to disappear from the minds of people.” He offered proposals aimed at creating an international bank of fissionable material and suggested the application of atomic energy “to the needs of agriculture, medicine, and other peaceful activities.” “A special purpose would be to provide abundant electrical energy in the power starved areas of the world,” he directed. Eisenhower concluded that the “contributing powers would be dedicating some of the strength to serve the needs rather than the fears of mankind.”25

Two months later, Eisenhower again spoke to his nation about the promise of atomic power and the heretofore unrealized dream of cheap energy for America and the world. “The destiny of all nations during the

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.