Evening star., 1953-02-14
The Coming Change in the Acc

In reSgning from the Atomic Energy Com
mission. Chairman Gordon Dean has agreed to
stay on the job until his three-year term exc
pires in June. Since an ACC vacancy already
exists, President Eisenhower-unles he plans
to elevate one of the present commissioner
presumably will act without delay. to name to
that vacancy the man who will head the agency
when Mr.. Dean steps out, The sooner the ap-
pointment is made, the better, for MIR. Deans
successor should have as much time as possible
for thorough briefng in the chairmanship's
all-important responsibilities before he takes
them over on his own. sas-- Il
As matters stand, the Nations gigantic
atomic project appears to be In excellent shape.
Under Mr.. Deans Craftsmanship ip-which he as
sumed In July, 1850, after having served more
than year as regular commission member
the ACC has administered q vast program OF
expansion and experiment full of immense sig
niflcance in terms Of both military and peace
time development. The production Of A
weapons, for one thing, has been greatly ac-
celerated, and there is good reason to believe
that our country has advanced to point where
1t has already manufactured, or is on the verge
of manufacturing the indeScribably destructive
hydrogen bomb
Moreover, while undertaking the construc-
tion of atomic-powered submarines, and while
atomic powered airplane, the United States
during Mr.. Deans tenure as Acc chairman
has moved far toward harnessing nuclear en-
ergy for such peacetime purposes as running
our factories and lighting our cities. Indeed, the
advances achieved in this field have been so
marked and so promising that there is mount
ing pressure aimed at having Congress amend
the law to permit private enterprise -specih-
cally, the utilities companies-to work with
large amounts Of fashionable material for the
output of electrical power.
Together with the question OF exchanging
atomic information with Britain and certain
other nations, this proposal to let private en-
terprise operate more freely with nuclear en-
ergy is one of the many important and complex
issues with which Mr.. Deans successor will
have to deal. It is not an easy issue, even
though there is no doubt that the atom can BE
harnessed to produce economical peacetine
power in the relatively near future. Thus, in
the words Of the Aces most recent report to
Congress "The considerations involved are
neither few nor simple. The anticipated
large-scale participation by industry raises
unique policy and contractual problems on such
matters as ownership Of plants, licensing and
use Of fashionable materials. secrecy, patent
rights, public safety, and liability in case Of
disaster"
Accordingly, since ne Will need Time 70 De-
come acquainted with wide variety OF such
problems, as well as with the administrative
machinery Of the Acc, the man who is to be-
come the commissions next chairman should
be nominated and confirmed as. far in advance
as possible Of the effective date Of Mr.. Deans
resignation Mr.. Dean himself, now that he Is
preparing to return to private life and the prac-
tice OF law, has good reason to take pride In
the excellent job he has done In q position Of
utmost Importance to the Nation. The American
people will lose one Of their finer public servants
when he finally bows out Of the atomic picture.