Premier David Ben Gurion last night announced the formation of an Atomic Energy Commission in Israel headed by Prof. Hugo Bergmann of the Weizmann Institute of Science. The announcement was followed up by an official communique revealing that “certain quantities of radioactive elements” have been discovered on Israel’s soil.
“The problem of supplying energy is one of the basic problems of Israel’s economy,” the communique said. “In view of the fact that Israel’s natural resources have shown that there are certain quantities of radioactive elements in Israel’s soil, it has become necessary that Israeli scientists should conduct research into this new physical element.
“The newly formed Atomic Energy Commission,” the communique continues, “will centralise the work on atomic research from all angles – physical, geological, industrial – since the atom nucleus might be a source of important energy for constructive purposes.” The Commission, it was indicated, will establish contact with similar bodies in other countries.
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
