In 1979 , the NRR played a key role in the Three Mile Island accident that occurred in Pennsylvania . The Office 's Director at the time , Harold Denton , personally advised President Jimmy Carter throughout the crisis . This direct liaison is notable in that it was NRC Chairman Joseph Hendrie , Denton 's superior , who interacted with Pennsylvania 's governor Dick Thornburgh . This event provoked considerable public interest that coincided with release of the film '' The China Syndrome '' , galvanizing public opinion on nuclear policy in the United States . Given this context , President Carter was advised to walk into the crisis zone in person in order to demonstrate that the dangers were not as high as many believed . These events occurred at approximately the same time as the beginning of the J. Samuel Walker term of service as the official historian of the NRC and are documented by him in '' Three Mile Island : A Nuclear Crisis in Historical Perspective ''
Three Mile Island accident
Three Mile Island accident
Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation