In the decade following World War II, the U.S. government took a keen interest in helping to create a commercial nuclear power industry. Although there were military leaders and members of Congress who believed nuclear technology should be carefully guarded and kept secret, many policymakers realized that other countries would quickly develop their own atomic capabilities; therefore, openly leading the world into the nuclear age presented opportunities, not only to exercise political control of the technical know-how, but also to profit from the growth of the new industry.
