Atomic Energy files, lot 57 D 688, “IAEA—Policy”
Memorandum Prepared in the Department of State1
Memorandum on Proposed International Atomic Energy Agency
The United States has considered the situation arising out of the refusal of the Soviet Government to participate in the International Atomic Energy Agency proposed by the President in his speech of December 8, 1953, before the General Assembly of the United Nations.
The United States believes that, even in the absence of Soviet participation, an International Atomic Energy Agency can usefully be formed by the nations willing to support its activities. The program for organizing such an Agency should not delay present plans for bilateral cooperation, under the provisions of Section 123 of the Atomic Energy Act as revised.
[Page 1502]Early announcement of plans for proceeding with the International Agency and with other international cooperative activities is considered desirable.
The International Atomic Energy Agency as it is now conceived would be established by treaty among interested nations. It would be loosely affiliated with the United Nations, the exact nature of the relationship to be subsequently agreed upon. It is expected that the Agency will be open to all countries (including the USSR) which accept the objectives and obligations stated in the treaty. Initially, the primary functions of the Agency would be to support training and exchange of technical information and services, to encourage cooperation in research, to assist nations wishing to acquire facilities such as small-scale reactors, and in general to aid nations in developing their capability to achieve the peacetime benefits of atomic energy and in particular nuclear power. Nations in a position to do so would make available source or fissionable material for projects approved by the Agency, but it is not expected that at the start the Agency would hold stocks of fissionable material. The United States is prepared at the outset to hold a reasonable amount of fissionable material at the call of the Agency. The operating expenses of the Agency would be allocated on an equitable basis to participating countries and costs of projects such as construction of reactors would be borne by the nations in which they are constructed.
The United States foresees that some considerable time may elapse before a treaty can be negotiated and the necessary ratifications obtained. During this period it is planned that the United States will initiate activities of the sort which the Agency might, in due course, appropriately take over. Activities of this sort now under study include a training course in reactor engineering, and bilateral assistance in the construction of small-scale reactors abroad (including provision of necessary modest amounts of fissionable material).
The United States requests that the other nations principally involved indicate at an early date if they agree in principle with this general outline for establishing an International Agency at this time.
The unsigned source text is accompanied by an Aug. 18 memorandum for the file by Gerard Smith of S/AE which reads:
“Mr. Murphy said it was all right to go ahead with the proposed action on the ‘Memorandum on Proposed International Atomic Energy Agency’ dated August 18, 1954 (giving same representatives of Canada, United Kingdom, South Africa, France, Portugal, Belgium and Australia today).
“I left word with the Secretary’s office (Mr. O’Connor) of this proposed action and requested him to call me if the Secretary at the 2:30 meeting saw any objection.
“I had previously cleared this procedure with Mr. Merchant, Mr. Bowie and John Hall of the Atomic Energy Commission.”
This is therefore presumably the statement of the U.S. position transmitted to the representatives of the abovementioned seven nations on Aug. 19; see memorandum for the file by Smith, infra.
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