232 



nations in nuclear power was desirable. 246 The Joint Committee 

 summed up the anticipated benefits of U.S. participation in the joint 

 programs as follows : 247 



. . . The State Department has testified as to the role Euratoni will play in Un- 

 economic integration of Europe, and this is recognized as an important part of our 

 foreign policy. Euratom will become increasingly important to Europe as a sup- 

 plement to its growing energy requirements in a period when its oil supply from 

 the Middle East is in danger. 



Moreover, from the standpoint of the United States atomic energy program, the 

 proposed Euratom arrangements offer an opportunity to develop and construct 

 United States type reactors abroad. There has been a great deal of testimony that 

 it is possible to achieve atomic power in Europe sooner than in the United States 

 because conventional power costs in Europe are considerably higher than in the 

 United States. 



Perhaps of greatest interest to the United States is the opportunity in the 

 Euratom joint program to demonstrate United States leadership in atomic energy 

 development, an objective which the Joint Committee considers to be of the high- 

 est importance. 



Representative Holifield of the Joint Committee was not impressed 

 by the argument that nuclear power could help resolve Europe's energy 

 problems. 



On this point, he said in debate on the bill : 248 



. . . The claim put forward by the more enthusiastic proponents of the original 

 Euratom sponsors, that this program would solve the dependence of the Euro- 

 pean countries on Middle East oil, is of course unrealistic. The six countries com- 

 prising the Euratom group have an installed kilowatt capacity of some 60 million 

 units. The pending atomic-power program will amount to 1 million, or one-sixtieth 

 of the total capacity. 



Despite these misgivings the bill was passed and the Euratom Co- 

 operation Act became law on August 28, 1958, as Public Law 85-840 

 (72 Stat. 1084). 



A BILATERAL AGREEMENT WITH EURATOM 



While Congress quickly assented to the initial agreement for co- 

 operation and to the authorizing legislation, it did not move as quickly 

 upon the bilateral agreement. The Joint Committee on Atomic Energy 

 held hearings on the agreement 249 and insisted on changes, particu- 

 larly for the safeguarding of nuclear materials to be furnished by the 

 United States. After these changes had been worked out with Eura- 

 tom, President Eisenhower approved a final version on November 6, 



1958, which was signed in Brussels 2 days later. On January 14, 



1959, the bilateral agreement with Euratom was laid before the Joint 

 Committee 25 ° and when no objection was raised, it took effect on 

 February 18, 1959. 



The only significant disagreement in the negotiations was over 

 U.S. inspection rights and safeguards for nuclear materials supplied 



348 U.S. Congress, Joint Committee on Atomic Energy, Euratom Cooperation Act of 1938, 

 Sen. Rept. 2370. August 14, 195S. 



947 Loc. clt. Note, the text of this report is also published in U.S. Code, Congressional 

 and Administrative News, 85th Cong., 2d Sees., 1958, vol. 3. The excerpt appears at p. 4307. 



M "Cf. his remarks. Congrea*ional Record, vol. 104, Ausrust 20, 1958. p. 18794. 



■»• U.S. Congress, Joint Committee on Atomic Energy, Hearings, Agreement for Coopera- 

 tion with Euratom, 8Rth Cong:., l«t. Sess., 19>59, 150 p. 



*° Before submitting the agreement to the Joint Committee, the President, as required by 

 the Atomic Energy Act, made a determination that the "performance of the proposed 

 agreement will promote and will not constitute an unreasonable risk to the common defense 

 and security of the United States." The emphasis was upon security, not upon economic 

 benefit. 



