PDCA's December 8 program will discuss the "Atoms for Peace" speech delivered by U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower to the UN.

In the speech before the United Nations General Assembly on December 8, 1953, President Dwight D. Eisenhower suggested a means to transform the atom from a scourge into a benefit for mankind. His "Atoms for Peace" speech embodied his most important nuclear initiative as President. From it sprang a panoply of peaceful atomic programs.

Eisenhower placed the debate over the control of nuclear science and technology, which had largely been the province of government officials and contractors, squarely before the public.

Many have said that the public controversy over nuclear technology and its role in American society can be traced back to Eisenhower’s determination that control of nuclear science was an issue for all Americans.

The speech was accompanied by an exhibition called “The Peaceful Uses of Nuclear Energy.” After opening in Berlin in 1954, it was replicated in Japan, India, Pakistan, and Portugal under the direction of Tom Tuch, on behalf of the newly-established U.S. Information Agency. Speakers for the event include:

Opening remarks

• Meredith Sleichter, Executive Director, The Eisenhower Foundation, will offer brief remarks about the anniversary of Eisenhower’s speech.

Discussants:

• Dr. Lawrence Jones,Senior Vice President for International Programs at the Edison Electric Institute, and Fellow of the Royal Swedish Academy of Engineering Science
• Dr. Najmedin Meshkati, Professor, Department of Civil/Environmental Engineering and Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering, University of Southern California, who will speak about science and technology diplomacy as an important example.
• Rick Ruth, who has studied Eisenhower’s biography and is an expert on the origins of people-to-people exchanges and the U.S. Information Agency.

This discussion is moderated by Adam Clayton Powell III, Director, Annenberg Center Washington Programs, USC Annenberg Center on Communication Leadership and Policy.