Foreign Relations of the United States, 1955–1957, Regulation of Armaments; Atomic Energy, Volume XX

75. Memorandum for the File, by the Secretary of State’s Special Assistant for Atomic Energy Affairs (Smith)¹

Washington, September 27, 1955.

SUBJECT

• President’s Proposal File²—Discussion with Mr. Hoover

On September 27 Mr. Hoover advised me that he had discussed the ICA³ proposal for handling the financing of the President’s research reactor plan with Hollister and Strauss. He said that the President had determined that all atomic energy matters would be handled by the Atomic Energy Commission. He said that a number of agencies were trying to get into the atomic energy business. He feels that the matter should be centralized in AEC and if it needed advice it would obtain it from ICA. He said that he had told Strauss that he had better organize for this job because we could not stop other people from trying to get into the act forever.

I pointed out that we could work out a program under any organizational set-up chosen. However, I pointed out that Strauss has historically been negative on foreign atomic energy activities and that if the President’s program was to avoid a negative implementation the AEC would have to reform. I pointed out the delays which AEC allows in certain cases involving international problems.

1. Source: Department of State, Atomic Energy Files: Lot 57 D 688, Power and Research Reactors. Confidential.
2. A handwritten notation above the preceding three words in the source text reads: “Research reactor implementation.”
3. The International Cooperation Administration was a semiautonomous organization in the Department of State established by Executive Order 10610 of May 9, to administer foreign aid.