Evening star., 1953-11-01
To Promote Our Atomic Power

Although the need for secrecy continues
to be an inhibiting factor. there is good reason
why the Atomic Energy Act of 1946 should be
amended to permit and encourage private
enterprise to play a considerably larger role
than it is playing today in the development of
nuclear power for industrial and other benei-
cent non-military purposes.
In fact, the arguments in favor of such
liberalization are so persuasive that legislation
to bring it about will be introduced in January
by Representative w. Sterling Cole, chairman of
the Joint Congressional Atomic Committee. In
Mr.. Coles judgment-as expressed in New York
the other day-this is a matter Of first i'm
portance QO because leadership in industrial
nuclear power, like leadership in A-weaponS and
hydrogen bombs, is essential to the security,
well-being and global position of the United
States and (2) because that leadership can be
best assured if private enterprise is enabled to
help promote it in close cooperation with the
Federal Government.
The Atomic Energy Commission shares Mr..
Coles view So does the National Security
Council This has been made clear by Thomas
E. Murray, senior member Of the Acc, in his
recent historic announcement revealing that
the Nation is now engaged in an all-out effort
to build the worlds first full-scale nuclear
reactor for industrial power-a reactor designed
to produce "a minimum of $4,000 kilowatts OF
electrical energy, with good possibilities OF
much higher output" The project-which Is
scheduled for completion in the next three or
four years-is Government operation far too
costly and far too novel, at this stage, for
private enterprise to finance and carry through
on its own even If the law permitted. Never
theless, with Westinghouse serving as the
principal contractor, private enterprise will be
encouraged to participate in the undertaking to
the greatest extent possible.
To that end, the Acc is inviting offers from
private sources to invest risk capital in the
great new project, and Mr.. Murray has ex-
planned the reason for this in these words:
"Just as am convinced that initially the Fed
eral Government must sponsor and finance
full-Scale power reactor development, so am
equally convinced that such sponsoring and
financing will fall far short of what Is needed
unless there are enlisted in this cause the cost
cutting drives, the know-how, Skills and compe-
tition of many segments of Americas business
and industry" Further, again rejecting the
views of his fellow-commissioners, he has de-
clared that business and industry eventually
should carry the greater part of the burden of
developing peacetime atomic energy
That is why Mr.. Murray and the Acc as
whole are as one with Mr.. Cole in believing that
the 1946 law ought to be liberalzed to permit
the disclosure-under proper security control
of more nuclear-reactor facts to more COM
panies, and to more individuals within those
companies, than is allowed at present. The
idea makes sense. It's adoption by Congress
could do much to insure American supremacy
in a on-military atomic field potentially every
bit as important to our future as supremacy in
A-weapons and H-bombs.