Evening star., 1953-10-23
Our Great New Atomic Project

The United States, acting through the
Atomic Energy Commission, is now embarked
on an all-out effort to build the worlds first
full-Scale nuclear reactor designed solely for
the production of industrial power. Unlike
news about A-weaponS and the hydrogen bomb,
this is a development that does not lend itself
very readily to Interpretation in spectacular
language full of arresting adjectiveS and dra-
matte figures of speech. Even so, as far as its
potentialS are concerned, it is an event of the
utmost Importance to the future of our Nation
and of free peoples everywhere.
Indeed, this new program-as announced
and explained in Chicago yesterday by Thomas
E. Murray, veteran member of the Acc
is considered to be so important by our highest
authorities that it has been undertaken with
a sense of urgency comparable to that govern
ing the tempo and scale of our national effort
in the field of AweaponS and H-bombS Why?
In Mr.. Murray'S words, the answer is that
RuSSia'S recent hydrogen-teSt accomplishment,
great as we must admit it to be, is less dan
gerous today to the free worlds hopes than
would have been the case if the Soviet Union
had been able to announce at that time that
'it had been successfully operating practical
industrial nuclear power plant-and was that
day offering foreign nations nuclear-power
technology in exchange for uranium, coupled
with other favorable economic and political
agreements"
Enlarging upon this view, which is shared
by the National Security Council, Mr.. Murray
has made the following significant points,
among others: Cd We must assume that the
U. S. S. R. is fully capable of developing nuclear
industrial power; (2) the stakes involved in
the race for such power are very high; 81 if
we do not strive at once, on an all-out basis,
to win that race, I'VE may be deprived of foreign
uranium ores, with the result that our weapons
potential will be smaller; a. this is so because
the Russians would be able to bid powerfully
against us if they beat us out in harnessing
the atom to run factories, light up cities and
perform kindred non-military functions like
making desert areas productive; and (5) if the
Kremlin succeeded in that respect, then energy
hungry countries-particularly in Asia and the
Middle EaSt-would "gravitate" toward the
Soviet Union regardless of the aversion they
nave Tor tyranny" In sum, our American
glooal position would be gravely affected and
Red totalitarianism would score an interna-
tlonal advance of incalculable deadliness
1t is because of these and similar consid-
erations, as Mr.. Murray has said, that the
United States has decided-at the topmost
IeVeL-to pursue the development of economic
nucIear power as new, urgent national goal"
vital to the continuation of American world
leadership and "of great significance for our
natlonaI survival" The first result of the deci-
sion, which will involve an outlay of many
tens OF millions of dollars" has taken the form
or project aimed at buidng-for actual
operation in the next three or four years.
reactor designed to produce "a minimum of
$4,000 kilowatts of electrical energy, with good
possibilities of a much higher output" But
thlS Will be merely beginning. With private
enterprise and private capital invited to par
uclpate in the undertaking, our Government
intends to spare no effort on related expert
mental work to make the harnessed atom a
practical, self-supporting competitor of things
like coal, oil and falling water
Because of the tremendous success already
achieved with atomic engines for submarine
propulsion, there is no doubt whatever that
nuclear power for industry and other peacetime
applications will eventually be able to compete
economically with the conventional sources of
energy. But "eventually" is not now AS Mr.
Murray has warned nobody should under
estimate the immensity of the research and
engineering job still to be DONE" That is why
our Government, through the Acc, is intent
upon having private enterprise take part in
the new program to the greatest extent posi-
ole within the limits of security Federal experts
are very much in need of help from the outside
More than that they must have behind them
Nation animated by as firm a will to win
In this race as in the race for ornaments
supremacy. The task is at once majestic and
portentous. Nothing should be left undone to
make sure that We triumph in it long before
the Russians