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The first report of the Atomic Energy Commission

By The Atomic Energy Commission | June 15, 2023

Members of the Atomic Energy Commission Patrol at Oak Ridge National Laboratory in 1947.Members of the Atomic Energy Commission Patrol at Oak Ridge National Laboratory in 1947.

The first cover of the Bulletin's magazine, designed by artist Martyl Langsdorf.
The first cover of the Bulletin’s magazine, designed by artist Martyl Langsdorf.

On the cover of the first Bulletin magazine issue, you’ll find the first appearance of the clock design that would eventually become the Doomsday Clock. This report from the Atomic Energy Commission was the leading article in the 1947 issue. It provides a look at what the commission accomplished in its early days after being established by the US government “to foster and control the peacetime development of atomic science and technology.”

This article appears here as part of our 2023 summer archive dive, which resurfaces a timeless Bulletin article each week.

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This report was submitted by the working committee for the consideration of the Atomic Energy Commission and approved by the latter for transmittal to the Security Council on 30 December 1946. Ten votes approved the transmittal to none with USSR and Poland abstaining. The text incorporates corrections in nomenclature suggested by the Secretariat and approved by the Commission …

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