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INTRODUCTION 



The United States, the European Community (EC) , Japan, and the Soviet 

 Union are all vigorously pursuing magnetic fusion as a preeminent 

 scientific challenge and an energy source of tremendous potential 

 benefit. The U.S., EC, and Japanese programs are each being conducted 

 at the level of several hundreds of millions of dollars per year. The 

 next stage of development will require sharply increased effort, and 

 power-producing test or demonstration reactors after that will call 

 for investments of billions of dollars. These demands, if placed on 

 each program, will strain the available human and material resources, 

 with the possible consequences of delayed results, limited scope, and 

 greater risk. Given these prospects, in combination with the history 

 of prior successful international cooperation on a more modest scale, 

 might a significantly greater level of cooperation bring a number of 

 worthwhile returns? 



FUSION ENERGY AND THE QUESTION OF GREATER COOPERATION 



Magnetic fusion refers to the large-scale production of nuclear 

 reactions involving the lighter elements, using magnetic fields to 

 attain the necessary density and duration of confinement of the 

 reacting nuclei as components of a fully ionized gas, called a 

 plasma. Magnetic fusion research began some 30 years ago with 

 independent classified programs in the United States, the USSR, and 

 the United Kingdom. In 1958 these programs were declassified and an 

 era of information and personnel exchange began. In the intervening 

 years separate programs in the United States, the EC, Japan, and the 

 USSR have grown to their current substantial status. 



The Path to Fusion Energy 



The United States, the EC, Japan, and the USSR are each committed to 

 pursue fusion as a potential element in their energy futures, although 



