Testimony on CERN and International Collaboration in Hijli Energy- Physics 



Victor F. Weisskopf 



before the Task Force on Science Policy of the 



Committee on Science and Technology 



of the U.S.. House of Representatives 



on June IS, 1985 



Content: 



I. The early histor)- of CERN 



II. The construction period 



III. The research and expansion period 



IV. General remarks about international collaboration in High Energ>- Physics 

 I. The early history of G£RN 



Since the end of World War II proposals for international activities in modem 

 physics and techuologj- were made in the framework of the United Nations or as 

 a European effort. One of the results of these initiatives was the foundation of 

 EURATOM, a European organization for the study of nuclear structure and energy 

 production. 



In those years in many European countries, in particular in France, Italy, West 

 Germany and Belgium, the idea of moving towards some form of economic and/or 

 political unification was considered of primarj- importance by many authoritative 

 politicians. 



Another incentive was the scientific, technical and administrative experience 

 gained in the U.S.A.during and immediately after the war, of wide and complex 



