Belief-based Energy Technology Development in the United States: ...

of this peculiar zeitgeist. In the Cold War, the U.S. national-security state sought legitimacy through psychological warfare and ideological domination. The state consciously propagandized the wonderful image about the peaceful use of atoms in order to strengthen its self-image as a benevolent superpower. The civil society's intellectual leadership was incorporated into the dominant regime, and the propaganda was diffused into the culture of the entire generation. The propaganda became so dominant that it took on a naturalistic appearance. To the Atomic Generation, it was common sense that the Atomic Age was inevitable, and civilian nuclear energy was unquestionably good. They believed that strong governmental support for nuclear power was the most reasonable thing. The first part of this chapter examines the behind-the-scenes maneuverings that created the dream of the peaceful atom. The story trails off in the 1960s because the legal and institutional structures for promoting atomic energy were well established by then. The post-1960s story is discussed in chapter 4, and the focus was shifted to the business side.

The second part of this chapter described the social and political climate in the 1970s and 1980s, and delineates the policymaking that led to the U.S. Synthetic Fuels Corporation (SFC), which was the largest government-sponsored synfuel endeavor in the world's history. The ideology of the state that created the SFC was fundamentally different from the one that created Atoms for Peace. A great deal of the differences in policy style (between nuclear and synfuel) can be attributed to the dominant government ideology of the time, or “ideology of the state” as the sociology literature describes it.

Chapter 3 introduces the symbolic repertoire of nuclear power. Nuclear power was much more than a means of producing electric power. Romantic and sacred feelings about nuclear energy were profuse in a wide range of literature. In particular, this chapter examines the symbolism of progress, and the metaphor and myth of the Atomic Age. I also delineate how political leaders employed symbols in political performance. A dramaturgical perspective of political performance produces useful lessons on why some political actions were more successful than others. This chapter also compares the failed synfuel drama with the successful nuclear one.