Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1956-09-30
German Atomic Project

notwithstanding West Germany has
set for itself one of the most ambitious
of the free worlds atoms-for- peace goals.
BY 1870 it hopes to have in operation no
fewer than 20 nuclear power plants with
combined productive capacity of 8
million kilowatts.
To some experts a developmental
program of such dimenSionS-eSpecia
in view of the time needed to design and
build efficient large-Scale reactors-may
seem to be dream that can hardly
materialize within the short space of less
than Is years. But Franz Joseph Strauss,
the Federal Republics young and i'm
pressive minister for atomic questions, is
confident that the job will be carried
through to successful completion as now
scheduled
Indeed, as he has told the writer in
an hour-long conversation here, Mr.
Strauss believes that necessity itself,
which has been the mother of so many
great advances, will be one of the most
important factors insuring the success
of the program under his charge. After
all, like the United States and most other
must cope with the fact that its demands
for electrical power are about doubling
every ten years. Further, unlike our own
country, it has only very limited sources
of conventional energy.
In these circumstances, Mr.. Strauss
says, it is imperative for the Federal
Republic to push forward as rapidly as
possible with the development of peace
time nuclear power. And to that end
he has been driving hard behind three
stage program of operations calculated
to guarantee that the 1870 goal will be
attained on time without any serious
setbacks. He bases much of his hope in
that respect on continuing cooperation
with American industry and our Atomic
Energy Commission.
Mr.. Strauss assumes that no great
difficulties will be encountered in pro-
ceeding with the planned stages of devel-
opment. He also assumes that the
Federal Republic will be able, in the years
Immediately ahead, to build up an ade-
quate supply of scientists and technicianS
equipped to run constantly expanding
program in the field of beneficent, nom
military atomic power. And it is on the
strength of such assumptions that he
displays an infectious sort of Sureness
that West Germany, by the year 1870,
will achieve a capacity of million kilo-
watts in atom-derived electrical energy.
a feat that would add enormously to his
eountry's productive strength.
AS for East Germany (Which may or
may not be reunited with the West by
l970), its actual and prospective indus
trial power situation is far more critical
than that of the Federal Republic. But
people in this temporary capital city
Everybody expects that Berlin will again
be the seat of government some day. are
not inclined to scoff at the Kremlin's
recent promise to help its German Com
munist regime build a 100000 kilowatt
atomic plant. They do not scoff at it
because they suspect that the Russian
leadership, having made GermanyS
Soviet zone part of the Red empire, may
be genuinely anxious to build up its poor
productive capacity for the greater honor
and glory of Marxism-Leninism.
Mr.. Strauss, for his own part, takes
a reserved view Of this matter But the
one thing he seems certain of Is that
West Germany, regardless Of what may or
may not happen on the enslaved side Of
the Iron Curtain, will succeed with its
atoms-for- peace program.