ABSTRACT
Any analysis of the objectives and accomplishments of the Atoms for Peace program must begin with the fact that President Dwight D. Eisenhower was its chief architect and builder. The idea for the Atoms for Peace speech had been conceived almost a year earlier, when the president-elect received two secret briefings on the atomic energy program, the first from the executive secretary of the Atomic Energy Commission, and the second from the commissioners themselves. The increasing number of bilateral agreements was touted by the United States as a measure of the success of the Atoms for Peace program, when in fact the bilaterals undercut the intended role of the international agency even before it came into existence. New ground was broken by Atoms for Peace programs, although not always with undisputed success. Administration impatience to support Atoms for Peace provided an unfortunate stimulus to domestic power development.
