▁cheap ▁and ▁the ▁power ▁industry ▁was ▁not ▁interested . ▁The ▁first ▁plant ▁was ▁begun ▁under ▁Eisen h ower ▁in ▁ 1 9 5 4 . ▁ ▁The ▁A EC ▁was ▁responsible ▁for ▁man aging ▁atomic ▁energy ▁development ▁for ▁the ▁military ▁as ▁well ▁as ▁for ▁civil ian ▁use . ▁Lil ient hal ▁was ▁responsible ▁for ▁ens uring ▁that ▁the ▁Commander - in - Ch ief ▁would ▁have ▁the ▁use ▁of ▁a ▁number ▁of ▁working ▁atomic ▁bomb s . ▁As ▁chairman ▁of ▁the ▁A EC ▁in ▁the ▁late ▁ 1 9 4 0 s , ▁during ▁the ▁early ▁years ▁of ▁the ▁Cold ▁War , ▁Lil ient hal ▁played ▁an ▁important ▁role ▁in ▁man aging ▁relations ▁between ▁the ▁scientific ▁community ▁and ▁the ▁U . S . ▁Government . ▁ ▁In ▁his ▁ 1 9 6 3 ▁book , ▁Change , ▁Hope ▁and ▁the ▁Bomb , ▁Lil ient hal ▁critic ized ▁nuclear ▁develop ments , ▁den oun cing ▁the ▁nuclear ▁industry ' s ▁failure ▁to ▁have ▁addressed ▁the ▁d angers ▁of ▁nuclear ▁waste . ▁He ▁suggested ▁that ▁a ▁civil ▁atomic ▁energy ▁program ▁should ▁not ▁be ▁purs ued ▁until ▁the ▁" subst ant ial ▁health ▁ha z ards ▁involved ▁were ▁elimin ated ". ▁Lil ient hal ▁argued ▁that ▁it ▁would ▁be ▁" part icular ly ▁ir respons ible ▁to ▁go ▁ahead ▁with ▁the ▁construction ▁of ▁full ▁scale ▁nuclear ▁power ▁plants ▁without ▁a ▁safe ▁method ▁of ▁nuclear ▁waste ▁dispos al ▁having ▁been ▁demonstrated ". ▁However , ▁Lil ient hal ▁stopped ▁short ▁of ▁a ▁blank et ▁re jection ▁of ▁nuclear