Being a slow historian is frustrating if only due to the continual public release of more information, critical data that needs to be obtained, catalogued, analysed and recorded. For example, just this year, three substantive books and a five-part TV series have been published/released, all on the subject of Chernobyl. I spent hours on them.
So it is pleasant indeed to confront my “holding pattern” notes about two days of hearings held by the Joint Committee on Atomic Energy back in April 1959. Do I really need to wade through 87 turgid pages? Of course not! Admiral Rickover is now so well known in America that an award is named after him, but – here’s the key – his involvement in matters nuclear now essentially falls into the military category. Not my concern. Move on!