the Atomic Energy Commission

The Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) was established by Congress in 1946 to regulate the production of atomic power. It was the civilian successor to the military’s Manhattan Project that developed the atomic bomb. The commission’s main tasks were the production of fissionable materials, safety, and the production of electric power. Its most important function, however, was to put the great promise and power of nuclear energy into the hands of civilians and private industry.

In this 1962 report submitted to President John F. Kennedy, the AEC argued that because America is a technological society, it needs abundant sources of energy. The report predicted that the supply of fossil fuels — oil and gas — would be exhausted some time in the twenty-first century. Accordingly, for the United States to prosper, it must find new sources...