I’ve written quite a few times in this blog about the unique character of Admiral Hyman Rickover. Amazingly effective, he could not be said to be a nice person and nearly everyone not under his thumb by virtue of service in the U.S. Navy feared and loathed him. I have so much evidence for this situation that some of it won’t find its way into the book. Take, for example, this short memo sent by Ken Davis, USAEC’s reactor development director to the organization’s general manager at the end of 1957:
In view of the great amount of time which most of the Commissioners have spent listening to [Rickover] talk about the technical features of the Civilian Power Reactor Program and the strong views on this program stated by him, I request that a comparable series of meetings be arranged with them to hear the Chief, Civilian Power Reactors Branch and to obtain his views on the program for which he is responsible. Failure to do so will leave the Civilian Power Reactors Branch in an anomalous position and result in the Commissioners having heard only one part of the story, and that a very one-sided one.
Davis, W. Kenneth. 1957. Davis to Fields, Dec. 19, 1957. “Reactor Development 1: Policy, Vol. 4,” Box 112, 67-B1, RG 326. NARA II, College Park, Maryland.
Interestingly, the handwritten overlay on the retained memorandum points out that U. M. Staebler (I was unable to track down his first name), the aggrieved manager, had an opportunity to “informally” air his views to the commissioners a week later.
