Atomic energy can be used for good or ill. Its first use was as a bomb with its terrific destructiveness. It goes without saying that the prohibition of atomic and hydrogen weapons would create favorable conditions for peaceful use of atomic energy. In the long run, it is in its peacetime uses that it will mean most to man. Indeed, the fact that atoms should serve peace alone does not need any proof. It is prompted by the vital interests of mankind. The widespread utilization of atomic energy for peaceful purposes opens up great possibilities for economic and cultural development as well as the improvement of the living standards of the peoples. In fact, one could hardly find at present any sphere of science or engineering where the latest achievements of nuclear physics are not utilized. New advances in industry, in agriculture, in medicine and science in general are on the horizon.

The application of nuclear energy to electricity is increasingly developing. This is a vital necessity as it is the only known potential capable of meeting mankind's various power requirements. These requirements are growing and natural fuels like coal, oil, and gas are being rapidly exhausted. Thus, it is to atomic power that man turns to solve the above problem. In effect, nuclear fuel greatly exceeds in its power equivalent all the world's reserves of coal and oil taken together.

The first atomic power station in France was put into operation at the end of September, 1956. Britain's first atomic power plant went into operation in October, 1956. It is in the Soviet Union that the world's first nuclear power plant generated the first commercial current in June, 1954. Nuclear power generation has made tremendous progress since then and scores of similar power plants are now operating in the world.

Our country has built and is building powerful atomic stations as well as reactors of a new type. Nuclear energy being developed in a reactor in the form of heat, its use supplies us with both cheap heat and power available in large quantities wherever needed.

The total capacity of our atomic power stations rea­ched a million kilowatts. That is far from being the limit. As a matter of fact, it is expected that by 1980 the total power capacity of Soviet nuclear power plants will have reached tens of millions kw.

Apart from its being a source of cheap heat and power, nuclear energy can also serve as a source of useful new products resulting from transmutation. What may be ter­med the by-products of atomic energy: radioactive isotopes and fission products (not to speak of radiation chemistry) may well prove to be of greatest importance to mankind along with atomic power itself.

We know of chemical processes where the energy of the atom accelerates a number of reactions, the latter de­veloping under conditions which can do without compli­cated equipment. Atomic energy in these cases makes needless ultra high temperatures and pressures.

Ionizing radiation helps obtaining materials with new physical and chemical properties in the desirable direction. Glass, for instance, becomes stronger besides its withstanding high temperatures. As for wood, it is found to obtain a number of properties similar to those of metal.

Great possibilities are opening up in the atomic energy use for transport purposes since its advantages arise not only from the limitless power but also from the small quantity of nuclear fuel required.

Nuclear instruments used in metallurgy control the operation and the state of certain processes in blast furnaces. Isotope instruments measure the thickness of hot rolled sheet metals, find out faults in metals besides their doing many other things.

It is the atom that has accelerated the testing of minerals and the study of the earth's surface structure.

Medicine represents another promising example of nuclear energy utilization. Here, this mighty force has found a wide application.

All that has been done so far in the use of nuclear energy for peaceful purposes is but a beginning. It is obvious that in due course other possibilities will come to light. At any rate, the reader can think of ways and means that have not been mentioned here.