Atoms for Peace

In 1953, President Dwight D. Eisenhower gave an emotional speech before the United Nations in which he pledged to use atomic power as a tool for peace rather than for war.   The speech remains controversial as a possible example of disinformation; seeking to control the public’s emotional response to the atomic devastation in which World War II had ended.

Regardless, it set in process the three main aims of the Atoms for Peace program, as embodied in its seal:  advancements in industry, in medicine, and in agriculture.  The latter led directly to the funding and development of ‘gamma gardens’ at the US national laboratories that had only lately been used to develop the atom bomb.  It also launched a public relations program that sought to educate American citizens about “Atoms for Peace” via posters, newsreels, and traveling road shows.

See also materials related to the Atoms for Peace speech in the Eisenhower archives, and a full transcript of the speech.  

Record Group 306
Records of the U.S. Information Agency, 1900-2003
Still Pictures Identifier: 306-PPB-81f

Record Group 306
Records of the U.S. Information Agency, 1900-2003
Still Pictures Identifier: 306-PPB-81b

Record Group 306
Records of the U.S. Information Agency, 1900-2003
Still Pictures Identifier: 306-PPB-81d

Record Group 306
Records of the U.S. Information Agency, 1900-2003
Still Pictures Identifier: 306-PPB-81c

Record Group 306
Records of the U.S. Information Agency, 1900-2003
Still Pictures Identifier: 306-PPB-81e