U.S. ATOM PLANS

Press, Volume XCV, Issue 28179, 18 January 1957, Page 13

U.S. ATOM PLANS

Vote Greatly Increased (N.Z Pres? Aftanciation—Cnrnjrtght» WASHINGTON, January 15. President Eisenhower asked Congress yesterday for a record 2,800 m dollars next year to improve the United States nuclear energy programme with atoms for both war and peace. The programme will include efforts to build a “cleaner” hydrogen bomb for military purposes and to harness hydrogen power for peaceful uses. Outlining his programme for the Atomic Energy Commission, Mr Eisenhower again emphasised that the. United States would continue to increase the number and variety of nuclear weapons until international disarmament agreement was reached. However, efforts to develop peaceful uses of the atom also would be greatly increased, particularly the development of reactors to produce atomic power at competitive prices.

The President said that the basic responsibility for constructing commercial power reactors rested with private industry. Unless promising designs were forthcoming within a reasonable time, he would propose, however, that the Government enter the power plant field. In another atoms-for-peace proposal, Mr Eisenhower asked Congress for prompt action to authorise full United States participation in the new International Atomic Energy Agency. Most of the increase will be spent for weapons with emphasis on atomic bombs fof battlefield use and hydrogen bombs with reduced radioactive fallout. The President also told Congress that more resources would be applied to the longer term effort to tame hydrogen bomb reactions for power. He scheduled new millions for atomic engines to drive merchant ships, naval vessels, and aircraft, but the biggest spending jump in the power field will be for experimental civilian reactors to generate electricity. He estimated that 95m dollars will go for developing peacetime atomic power in 1958, a jump of 35m dollars from the 1957 estimate.