Inside the Cold War - Project Gutenberg Consortia Center

THE LEADERS
appointed head of the AEC’s atomic reactor program, Rickover
wasted no time in prevailing upon him to consider organizing
a Naval Reactor Program within the AEC. Adm Earle Mills,
who had been impressed with Rickover while working in
BuShips and who supported the nuclear propulsion concept,
agreed that a naval branch should be created within AEC’s
Division of Reactor Development. Hafstad was convinced, and
Rickover was named director of the new branch.
Rickover’s assignment went largely unnoticed until seniors
within the Navy and the Washington community realized that
Captain Rickover had taken command of both Navy’s and
AEC’s nuclear propulsion activities. He could now send
priority requests to himself from either office, obtain instant
“sign-off,” and proceed on his merry way. Rickover in no way
abused his positions, but he did drastically cut red tape to
move the program along. He was a genius at selling ideas to
AEC and industry while saving money for the Navy. He
convinced Westinghouse that building smaller nuclear power
plants for ship propulsion would be an ideal way to pursue
the goal of building industrial nuclear power plants.
Westinghouse also got on board Rickover’s drive to divert
fissionable materials from bombs to power reactors. The AEC
and a number of influential members of Congress were
delighted with a US industry sharing the new technology and
creating revolutionary business potential.
Meanwhile, Captain Rickover continued to build his small
empire. He took over Tempo-3, a group of prefabricated
buildings set up on Constitution Avenue during the War to
prevent overcrowding. He then ripped out all carpeting and
other items that reflected a “cushy” Washington environment
and established work schedules of 14 to 16 hours a day.
Money was still scarce, but Rickover somehow managed to
leach enough from the Navy and other sources to continue
developing a nuclear reactor and a suitable submarine. He
selected the Nautilus to receive the new propulsion engine.
In the late 1940s and early 1950s, Rickover began to create
serious problems for himself and his programs. He had
become, or perhaps had always been, a complete nonconformist.
He fought convention and bureaucracy at every turn. He
developed complete contempt for th e conventional Navy and
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