ABSTRACT
Project Plowshare, the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) program to investigate possible non-military uses for nuclear explosives, was an offshoot of President Eisenhower's “Atoms for Peace” proposal. In a speech delivered December 8, 1953, Eisenhower declared, “this greatest of destructive forces can be developed into a great boon for the benefit of all mankind” (Hilgartner, et al., 1983: 41). After World War II and through the 1950s, many scientists, engineers, and government officials shared a vision of a nuclear utopia. Nuclear power was expected to propel aircraft, trains, naval vessels, commercial ships, rockets, and even military vehicles (Hewlett and Duncan, 1969; Hilgartner, et al., 1983; AEC, 1963: 10). Many also believed that atomic energy would be used to genetically alter crops and preserve grains, meat and fish. Moreover, nuclear reactors were envisioned which would generate huge quantities of cheap electricity (Hilgartner, et al., 1983: 43).
