author
U.S. Atomic Energy Commission
Created in the first years after World War II, this U.S. government agency oversaw the country’s shift from wartime atomic research to civilian control of nuclear science and technology. Its story sits at the center of debates about weapons, power, safety, and the promises of the atomic age.
1 Audiobook
The Nuclear Ship Savannah First Atomic Merchant Ship, One of the World's Safest Ships
by United States. Department of Commerce, United States. Maritime Administration, U.S. Atomic Energy Commission
About the author
The United States Atomic Energy Commission was established by the Atomic Energy Act of 1946, with President Harry S. Truman signing the law on August 1, 1946. It took over from the Manhattan Project in 1947 and was charged with both encouraging and controlling the development of atomic energy in the United States.
That mix of duties made the commission unusually powerful. Over its 28-year history, it helped shape nuclear weapons production, reactor development, scientific research, and the early growth of civilian nuclear power. The agency’s leadership included figures such as David E. Lilienthal, Lewis Strauss, Glenn T. Seaborg, and Dixy Lee Ray, each associated with different phases of U.S. nuclear policy.
In 1974, the Energy Reorganization Act dissolved the commission and split its responsibilities between new agencies, including the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and what later became part of the Department of Energy. Even after it disappeared, the AEC remained a key symbol of the hopes and anxieties of the atomic age.