ABSTRACT
Dean Acheson wrote that the early atomic period was "one of great obscurity to those who lived through it." During World War II, scientists from Allied countries, principally Britain and Canada, were already sharing in many of the atomic discoveries. Wartime negotiations in the field of atomic science were complicated very early by the question of commercial utilization after the war. The nuclear security dilemma for the United States was two-fold: Hopes for peaceful uses of atomic energy were dampened by fear of nuclear proliferation; and fears of the Soviet nuclear arsenal sobered the demands for nuclear disarmament. The International Atomic Development Authority proposed by Baruch touched as much on political economy as on military security and, in effect, threatened the character of the Soviet state. The penchant for secrecy, along with technical uncertainties and the risks of a multitude of unknowns, continued to threaten both long-range security and commercial interests.
