Beyond Nuclear International Weekly Digest, MONDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2023

Posted: 30th October 2023

When President Eisenhower announced Atoms for Peace in 1953 it had an encouraging ring. But it was, at best, a myth. Behind the scenes, US corporations were developing reactor concepts designed principally to produce plutonium.

How corporations pushed open the nuclear door

A familiar corporate rogues gallery, including Dow, Monsanto and Bechtel, were all involved in proposals in the 1950s to deliver “dual use” reactors, whose secondary purpose was the production of electricity (since it was agreed that power alone would not be economical!) The primary driver was to manufacture plutonium needed to build up the US nuclear weapons arsenal. It was also a stealthy - and successful - way to open the nuclear door to the private sector. READ MORE

If you appreciate the information and perspectives you are finding here, please consider making a donation to Beyond Nuclear to support more work like this.