Richard G. Hewlett and Oscar E. Anderson, Jr. A History of the United States Atomic Energy

824 Pages·2010·17.11 MB·English

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A History Richard G. WASH 12t4
of the Hewlett/ U.S.
1946 Q^ United States Oscar E. Atomic
Anderson, Jr. Energy
Atomic Energy
Commission
Commission
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This report has been reproduced directly from the best available copy
Available from the National Technical Information Service, U S Department of
Commerce, Springfield, Virginia 22151
Price Paper Copy $9 00
Microfiche $0 95.
Original Edition 1962
Reprint 1972
Library of Congress Catalog Card Number 62-14633
USAEC Tc ti u o "la o Cc" p Oal R dgc Te
i
DISCLAIMER

This report was prepared as an account of work sponsored by an
agency of the United States Government. Neither the United States
Government nor any agency Thereof, nor any of their employees,
makes any warranty, express or implied, or assumes any legal
liability or responsibility for the accuracy, completeness, or
usefulness of any information, apparatus, product, or process
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Government or any agency thereof.
DISCLAIMER

Portions of this document may be illegible in
electronic image products. Images are produced
from the best available original document.
Tfie new lllerid, 1939/1946
A History
of the
United States
Atomic Energy
Commission
Volume !
1939/1946
Trie
flew
lUorM
Richard G.
Hewlett/
-NOTICE-
This report was prepared as an account of work Oscar E.
sponsored by the United States Government. Neither
the United States nor the United States Atomic Energy Anderson, Jr.
Commission, nor any of their employees, nor any of
their contractors, subcontractors, or their employees,
makes any warranty, express or implied, or assumes any
legal liability or responsibility for the accuracy, com
pleteness or usefulness of any information, apparatus,
product or process disclosed, or represents that its use
would not infringe privately owned rights.
1972
U.S.
Atomic
Energy
Commission
iWillllflOi Cf THIS IMCIJKEAT iS IliUlll
K>>.
CONTENTS
FOREWORD BY THE CHAIRMAN,
HISTORICAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE ix
PREFACE xi
1 THE INHERITANCE
Historical setting, January, 1947; summary of AEC
inheritance.
IN THE BEGINNING
Discovery of fission; first efforts to gain federal sup
port for nuclear research; growing interest in military
potential; authority for an all-out investigation of
atomic weapons.
EXPLORING THE ROUTES TO THE WEAPON 53
OSRD efforts to select best production process; deci
sion to expand project, June, 1942; transfer of re
sponsibility to the Army; procurement and priority
problems.
COMMITMENT 84
Research and preliminary engineering on major pro
duction processes; decisions leading to the December,
1942, report committing the United States to produc
ing the bomb.
THE TIEW WORLD / 1939-1946
5 RACE FOR THE BOMB: URANIUM 235
Construction of Oak Ridge; evolution of the isotope-
separation plants from research through design, de
velopment, and construction in 1943 and early 1944.
6 RACE FOR THE BOMB: PLUTONIUM 174
Evolution of the Oak Ridge and Hanford piles and
separation plants; selection of the Hanford site and
construction of plant; administration and procure
ment.
7 A LABORATORY SET ON A HILL 227
Selection of the Los Alamos site; organization of the
weapons laboratory; research and development; im
plosion and the gun; crisis in the summer of 1944; ef
fects of weapon prospects on strategic planning.
8 AN UNEASY PARTNERSHIP 255
Problems of the Anglo-American alliance; end of in
terchange; Churchill's efforts to achieve a completely
joint enterprise; Quebec Agreement, resumption of in
terchange; ore-control policies.
9 RACE FOR THE BOMB: HOMESTRETCH 289
Congress and appropriations; procurement of ore and
uranium supplies; completing the production plants
and initial operation, 1944^5; final development of
the weapon.
10 THE QUEST FOR POSTWAR PLANNING 322
Bush-Conant interest in postwar control; Metallurgi
cal Laboratory concern for the future; Roosevelt,
Churchill, and the Hyde Park Aide-Memoire; Britain
and the French scientists; Stimson's last advice to
Roosevelt; appointment of the Interim Committee.
11 TERRIBLE SWIFT SWORD 347
Atomic bombs in the strategy against Japan; sessions
of the Interim Committee; scientific opinion and the
Scientific Panel; Alamogordo; Potsdam; victory over
Japan.
CONTENTS
12 CONTROLLING THE ATOM: SEARCH FOR A POLICY 408
Drafting domestic legislation; atomic energy in the
public forum; Stimson's search for a policy for inter
national control; Army pressure for legislation; the
President's message of October 3, 1945.
13 CONTROLLING THE ATOM: FROM POLICY
TO ACTION 428
May-Johnson bill; rise of the scientists' opposition;
McMahon's Special Committee; Army-McMahon dis
pute; indecision on international control; Truman-
Attlee-King conference; Byrnes's approach to the
Russians.
14 THE LEGISLATIVE BATTLE 482
Initial reactions to the McMahon bill; winning Presi
dential support; Senate hearings, early 1946; Van-
denberg amendment and civilian control; new conflict
in the House; passage of the Atomic Energy Act of
1946.
15 INTERNATIONAL CONTROL: LAST BEST HOPE 531
United Nations Atomic Energy Commission; drafting
the Acheson-Lilienthal plan; Baruch's appointment as
U. S. representative; evolution of the official U. S.
plan.
16 INTERNATIONAL CONTROL: NO FLESH
FOR THE SPIRIT 580
Bikini test; reactions to the U. S. proposal; explana
tions of the American plan; stalemate with the Rus
sians; Wallace controversy; report of the United Na
tions Atomic Energy Commission.
17 A TIME OF TRANSITION 620
Appointment of the U. S. Atomic Energy Commis
sion; Army management of the Manhattan project in
1946; first Commission meetings; problems of trans
fer and the question of civilian control; transfer, De
cember 31, 1946.
1
THE NEW WORLD / 1939-1946
SOURCES 657
NOTES 667
APPENDICES 714
1. The McMahon Bill (S. 1717)
2. Financial Data
INDEX 725