Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1954-03-10
The Atom in Britain

In moving to have Parliament establish
special new agency to promote the Harvesting
Of the atom for non military purposes, Prime
Minister Churchills government has made clear
that the British are determined to equip them
selves as fast as they can with nuclear indus
trial power And their experts, like most of our
own in the same field, are confident that such
power-to produce electricity, run factories etc.
can be put to large-scale work in the rela-
lively near future on a basis enabling 1t to COM
pete on equal economic terms with coal and
other conventional sources of energy.
It is because of this bright prospect that
Britain, in addition to the one it is building in
Cumberland, has decided to construct second
and considerably bigger atomic power plant in
Northern Scotland The plant which will be
erected around large reactor of the breeder"
type-the type that can produce at least as
much fashionable material as it consumes-is
expected to point the way to remarkable devel-
opments in utilizing nuclear energy for industry.
More than that, according to Sir David Eccles,
British Minister of Works. there is good reason
to hope that the project will begin to pay for
itself and yield extra dividends within 10 years.
OF course, as explained to Parliament by
Sir David, Britain-like the United States-must
continue in the present dangerous period to
devote the major part of its atomic activities
to the production of weapons. That phase of
the program-which serves the joint Anglo
American objective of lettering Communist
aggression with an allied arsenal designed to
make the Kremlin realize that great new war
would be too Improbable and "too terrifying
to starts to be carried forward without
letup under the direction of the Ministry of
Supply. At the same time, however, there are
compelling reasons why the British-again like
II MT IN
and enrich their civilian economy with nuclear
power.
Actually, from the standpoint of their fore
seeable economic needs, the British have more
reason to do this than we have, and that Is why
the Churchill government, while continuing to
accelerate its A-weapons program, has under
taken to create an agency dedicated exclusively
to the task of non military nuclear develop
ment. Thus as Sir David has emphasized to
Parliament, 1.-THE new source Of power will come
only just in time. Brtain's reserves of coal are
limited. We have little water power and almost
no oil. OF all countries. Britain must invest
boldly and heavily in atomic energy, which
offers the key to expanding prosperity for our
people and for our friends overseas"
Moreover, with strong implicit indorse-
ment Of the Eisenhower plan to promote such
prosperity through the international use of ifs
SlonaDle material Tor peaceIul purposes, Slr
David has indicated Britain's readiness to col
laborate with the United States in program
that could, within generation, spread benefi-
cent nuclear power plants all over the world.
AS demonstrated in their wartime work with
us on the A-bomb British atomic scientists
undoubtedly have much to contribute along
this line-a fact that points up the common
sense nature of the Presidents request to Con-
gress to relax some of the present legal restric-
tons that debar us from mutually beneficial
cooperation with them.