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The Atomic Energy Act was passed, establishing the Atomic Energy Commission
(AEC). The AEC replaced the Manhattan Project on December 31, 1946. During the
first half of 1946, the Congress debated whether atomic energy should be under
civilian or military control. Civilian control won. The Act placed further
development of nuclear technology under civilian rather than military control.
Senator McMahon, the author of the Act, also known as the McMahon Act, called
it "a radical piece of legislation" because it gave the AEC a monopoly over
both military and commercial uses of atomic energy. The Act said atomic energy
should be directed "toward improving public welfare, increasing the standard of
living, strengthening free competition among private enterprises ... and
cementing world peace." However, the Act prohibited private companies or
individuals from owning nuclear materials and patenting inventions related to
atomic energy. The Act also restricted information on using nuclear materials
to produce energy as well as on designing, making, and using atomic weapons.
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