Almost a year after World War II ended, Congress established the United States Atomic Energy Commission to foster and control the peace time development of atomic science and technology. President Harry S. Truman signed the Atomic Energy Act on August 1, 1946, transferring the control of atomic energy from military to civilian hands. This action reflected America's postwar optimism, with Congress declaring that atomic energy should be employed not only in the Nation's defense, but also to promote world peace, improve the public welfare and strengthen free competition in private enterprise. The signing was the culmination of long months of intensive debate among politicians, military planners and atomic scientists over the fate of this new energy source.

Congress gave the new civilian Commission extraordinary power and independence to carry out its awesome mission. To provide the Commission exceptional freedom in hiring scientists and professionals, Commission employees were exempt from the Civil Service system. Because of the need for great security, all production facilities and nuclear reactors would be government-owned, while all technical information and research results would be under Commission control. The National Laboratory system was established from the facilities created under the Manhattan Project, and Argonne National Laboratory was one of the first laboratories authorized under this legislation as a contractor-operated facility dedicated to fulfilling the new Commission's mission.

Chicago Office (Chicago Operations Office) is Established

On January 1, 1947, the fledgling Atomic Energy Commission took over the massive atomic energy complex from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' Manhattan District. As part of this reorganization, the Chicago Office (then called the Chicago Operations Office) was established as one of the new AEC's first field offices. From 1947 until 1949, the first Chicago Operations Office was located in the former Army Corps offices at the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago. In 1949, the office moved to new laboratory facilities being built southwest of Chicago near Lemont, Illinois, as the new home of Argonne National Laboratory.

For the next three decades, AEC's Chicago Operations Office supported and participated in research, development and demonstration programs leading to commercial development of nuclear power, naval nuclear propulsion and other nuclear technology applications. This involved research and development leading to the major power reactor technologies in use in the nation today. As part of this effort, Chicago Operations directed the design and construction of several small power demonstration reactors throughout the Midwest, part of the AEC Power Reactor Demonstration Program. Chicago Operations continued to be responsible for a large share of the AEC's contracts and grants with universities and other educational institutions, industry and state and local governments.

AEC's Chicago Operations Office grew during this period, taking on responsibility for AEC's research facilities in the Northeast, including Brookhaven National Laboratory, Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory, Environmental Measurements Laboratory and New Brunswick Laboratory. Chicago also took on responsibility for a large number of additional research contracts and grants for east coast institutions.

Return to the History page.