Report on the atom: what you should know about the atomic energy program of the United States

HERE IS AN AUTHORITATIVE and up-to-the minute account, by the recently retired Chairman of the United States Atomic Energy Commission, of our vast program of atomic development for both military and peaceful purposes. Within the necessary limits of security regulations, Mr. Dean describes the evolution of our atomic energy program from the brilliantly successful improvisations of the early days of the Manhattan Engineer District, culminating over Hiroshima and Nagasaki, to the enormously expanded and integrated effort of today.. He tells of the world's known sources of uranium and the intensification of the search for new deposits; of the long, complex, and almost unbelievably costly processes by which the metal is transformed into weapons, isotopes, or heat for power; of the many intricate problems of secrecy, security, and espionage with which the authorities must cope; and of the relations of the American atomic program to similar programs abroad. An important and revealing chapter is devoted to the critical question of Russia's potential in the field of atomic development.
To what extent does the harnessing of the atom open up the prospect of a truly revolutionary age in the peaceful pursuits of man? The sections of Mr. Dean's book that deal with this fascinating question cover the broad fields of medicine, agriculture, and industry, and provide the reader with a sober up-to-date estimate of what developments may be expected in each within the foreseeable future. Mr. Dean leaves no doubt that the release of atomic energy is changing the lives of all men today and will continue to do so tomorrow; and he emphasizes the great responsibility of all citizens to see to it that the change shall be for good rather than otherwise.