Insurance on Privately Owned Nuclear Facilities In July the group of insurance company executives previously formed to consider the problems involved in providing insurance protection on privately owned nuclear facilities submitted a preliminary report. The group is continuing its study of the insurance problem and expects to submit its conclusions early in 1956. Information for Industry As an indication of rising industrial interest in atomic energy development average daily sales of AEC unclassified technical reports have increased to nearly four times the 1954 levels. The daily average was 218 in September 1954; and 833 in September 1955. To service the industrial access permittees, as well as individuals and firms interested only in unclassified information, the AEC has inaugurated an accelerated industrial information program to provide written and graphic information including unclassified and classified data on nearly every phase of science and technology developed within the national atomic energy program, excepting weapons technology and certain other limited defense-sensitive matters. Program activities initiated or expanded to increase the dissemination of information include unclassified and classified documentary sales services, technological advisory service, a writing program and a drawing sales program. Documentary Service The AEC's documentary service for industry includes both classified and unclassified materials. Sales for unclassified documents are handled by the Office of Technical Services, Department of Commerce. Some 2,000 AEC unclassified reports are now available in fullsize copy and reports are being added to the collection at the rate of 10 to 15 reports per working day. Price lists of these reports are available from the Office of Technical Services, Department of Commerce, and an availability list of 12,000 reports on atomic energy which have been published in "Nuclear Science Abstracts," has been compiled and made available for sale as "Cumulated Numerical List of Available Unclassified U. S. Atomic Energy Reports." The reactor handbooks and other volumes specifically prepared for the Geneva Conference, unclassified nuclear power study team reports, bound volumes of "Nuclear Science Abstracts," Joint Committee on Atomic Energy Hearings, and other general interest publications may be purchased from the U. S. Government Printing Office. From Microcard Foundation, through special arrangements with AEC, some 9,000 AEC unclassified reports included in "Nuclear Science Abstracts" are now available as microcopy in card form. Under the AEC classified documentary service, the Commission has authorized an expedited review for downgrading or declassification of approximately 20,000 classified reports in central files of the Technical Information Service at Oak Ridge. This review is scheduled to be completed by March 1956 (see Classification). Industrially significant reports will be made available as unclassified, confidential, or secret to the permit holders as soon as appropriate reproductions can be accomplished. A document sales agency has been established at Oak Ridge to effect an efficient and equitable distribution of classified information to permit holders. Sales are on a cash remittance system and order forms are available to cleared firms from AEC Technical Information Service, Oak Ridge. As a regular announcement of report availability, the AEC has begun publication of a new monthly confidential abstract journal entitled, "Civilian Applications of Atomic Energy." The standard classified abstract journal, "Abstracts of Classified Reports" is available to those permitted access to secret material. Persons granted access permits receive immediately a listing of all available unclassified materials. When personnel and facilities clearances have been completed, the permit holders are apprised of all classified information available to them. Technological Advisory Service Access permittees are notified of and encouraged to utilize services provided by the staff of the Industrial Information Branch. Technological advisors provide information to the access permit holder on where work is being accomplished, who is doing the work, progress in various fields of research and general oral and/or written technical assistance. Writing Program Despite broad dissemination, the AEC recognizes limitations of existing materials. Since this material was prepared to inform project personnel of scientific advances rather than to present a complete compilation of technological data to new firms probing for industrial applications, a writing program calculated to collect and collate the best information on broad subject areas important to atomic energy fields has been initiated. Work has begun on books to introduce the newcomer to the atomic energy field, to cover the technical considerations in reactor control and safety, and to cover known techniques and costs involved in disposal of fission products including important individual species. Both classified and unclassified versions will be prepared if necessary to cover the fields. Unclassified books are to be prepared on production of uranium and classified books on fuel fabrication techniques. Drawings Program As still another phase of the information dissemination program for industry, the AEC has provided engineering drawings such as those for the Oak Ridge Research Reactor. As the demand for such graphic materials increases, the Technical Information Service will make known the availability of selected sets of drawings to all who qualify to purchase them. Technical Information Service has cooperated with the Division of Civilian Application and other responsible divisions in planning and conducting briefing sessions, including the printing and distribution of reports and transcripts of these meetings. As additional firms are cleared under the access program, orientation and technical briefings will be arranged to provide on-the-spot information. The Technical Information Service has participated in commercial exhibits and professional meetings, providing speakers, exhibit materials, technical advice, and direct contact for the AEC with industrial representatives interested in becoming informed of technical data available from the AEC. Classification DECLASSIFICATION OF INFORMATION The Commission puts its basic classification policy into effect through the Declassification Guide for Responsible Reviewers prepared by the Division of Classification for Commission approval. This Guide spells out by means of topics the types of information which may and may not be declassified, and assigns an appropriate classification to each topic. The Commission is continually aware of the growing and changing needs of science and industry for the information in its possession. In the periodic revisions of the Guide a fine balance must be struck between protecting information which is of national security interest and providing the maximum assistance to peaceful applications. Revisions to the Guide take into account the information in the possession of the United Kingdom and Canada. Through annual tripartite declassification conferences the three nations keep their declassification rules consistent. The beneficial results of keeping the Declassification Guide up to date by the United States to meet changing needs were illustrated by the content of the papers presented at the International Conference on the Peaceful Uses of Atomic Energy. During the previous year, and before such a conference was proposed, the rapidly growing interest of U. S. industry in power reactors had occasioned a searching look at the Guide to find where it might be changed without endangering national security. Large areas of reactor information were recognized as no longer requiring maximum security protection, and proposals to revise the Guide accordingly were made at a tripartite conference in October 1954. The new rules were put into effect in April 1955. The declassification of information entails more than the making of rules and fixing of policy. The information must be found in tangible form, handled, and evaluated, and the rules must be applied in the actual physical review of individual classified documents. Reports are written for operational reasons and generally are directed toward a technical purpose requiring data from various technical fields. Because of this many reports contain information that must remain classified as well as information that can be released. In addition some information that is of interest in civilian applications of atomic energy has great value to production or military application programs and cannot be declassified. For these reasons, the review of individual reports is necessary. Reports cannot be classified or declassified on a block basis. The present rules, since April 1955, have applied to the review of information currently arising in the atomic energy program. They also affect earlier information residing in classified papers and reports in files throughout atomic energy projects. The new rules have made thousands of these declassifiable or at least eligible for downgrading to Confidential-in fact, a rapid survey of report holdings for material of potential value to peaceful uses disclosed more than 20,000 reports which under the current rules should be reviewed for declassification or downgrading. Special Review Project The Commission is aware of its obligation to evaluate this material and, where possible, make it available. The doing of this, however, involves a review of large proportions. In the normal procedure, a report proposed for declassification is reviewed as to security and appropriateness of content by the Coordinating Organization Director at the particular site. It then goes to a Responsible Reviewer, a scientist foremost in the particular field, who reviews it in light of the Declassification Guide and determines its appropriate classification. Finally, the report is reviewed by the Declassification Branch of the Division of Classification and, if the other reviews have indicated that such action is warranted, it is downgraded from Secret to Confidential or is declassified and made available for distribution. A special program was first initiated in April 1955 and then greatly expanded in November 1955 to speed up the review of the backlog of reports mentioned above. Some 35 technically trained people, on loan from the various AEC and contractor installations, were gathered as a reviewing team at Oak Ridge under supervision of the Division of Classification. With the Declassification Guide furnishing the working rules, this team has processed reports at a rate of more than 2,000 per week. Of the first 6,000 reviewed, approximately one-third were declassified, one-third were downgraded from Secret to Confidential and one-third retained their original classification. It appears that the same proportions will apply to the entire 20,000 reports when the review work is completed in March 1956. As part of the same overall review program, all major installations are conducting a continuing and thorough search of their files for additional information that may be of value to peaceful uses. Moreover, current reports are being reviewed as they are prepared, so that as many as possible may become immediately available. Circumstances change continuously and, even while the revised classification rules and criteria are thus being applied, steps are being taken toward meeting the growing need for further revision. Opinions are obtained from the AEC's Committee of Senior Reviewers, an advisory group of recognized experts in the various phases of the atomic energy projects. Subcommittees on weapons, reactors, and chemistry and metallurgy, are consulted to advise the AEC of their views as to security sensitivity of information in these fields. The needs of industry for certain kinds of information are also determined. With all such material accumulated, Atomic Energy Commission is again preparing revisions to the Guide, |