POWER FROM THE ATOM

Press, Volume LXXXIX, Issue 27010, 9 April 1953, Page 9

POWER FROM THE ATOM

Role Of Private Enterprise (Rec. 11 p.m.) NEW YORK, April 8. The United States is ready to invite private industry to exploit the field of atomic energy as a source of commercial power, the “New York Times” said today. W. H. Lawrence, a Washington correspondent of the newspaper said that the Atomic Energy Commission, with the approval of President Eisenhower and the National Security Council, soon will recommend to Congress that the Federal Government end its monopoly on the possession and development’ of fissionable materials for the production of atomic energy. Lawrence said that this step will open the way for commercial development through privately-financed competition of atomic energy for power. “Any liberalisation of the atomic energy law will not affect the cdtomission’s speed-up of the weapons development programme,” Lawrence said. Government experts said that there were no insoluble security or safety problems involved in turning over the atom to industry. The security safeguards on the secrets of manufacturing nuclear materials and weapons would be retained.