ATOMIC ENERGY


sidered itself as an associated nation. It is in this spirit that the
agreement of 1944 was concluded, in order to make -the maximum
possible contribution to the war effort of the Allies. In the postwar
period, also, the obligations undertaken in this agreement by Belgium
have been faithfully observed in the same spirit.
  The fulfillment of the commercial obligations of this agreement has
been maintained into the postwar period. The political obligations,
that is to say, the quasi-monopoly on procurement granted to the
United States and Great Britain, ought to have been subject to re-
vision at the end of the war. If this revision were not proposed by
the Belgian Government, it was because it had anticipated an overall
settlement within the framework of the United Nations of the prob-
lem of atomic energy regulation, which would have covered the par-
ticular problem of Belgian Congo uranium. Moreover, two years ago,
M. Spaak invited the attention of the American Government to this
point. I, myself, raised it in the course of a conversation with you
during September of last year.
  Today the realization of such 'a general settlement seems beyond
attainment. The agreements between Belgium on the one hand, and
the United States and Great Britain on the other, should be established
on a new basis, taking into account on the one hand, progress made
in the scientific ,and industrial development of atomic energy and,
on the other hand, the relatively backward position of Belgium in
this field. I feel constrained to state that while Belgium possesses the
principal source material of atomic energy, she is today, five years
after the end of the war, one of the countries in Western Europe in
which the development of this branch of scientific technology is the
least advanced. The reason for this is that, relying on Section 9 of the
1944 agreement,8 the Belgian Government expected to participate in
the benefits of the progress made in this field by the countries to which
it had reserved -he almost exclusive delivery of the raw material. It is
generally known that if Belgium had not undertaken this obligation,
she might have improved her position either by pressing scientific
research in her own territory more vigorously, or by associating her-
self with other countries of Western Europe to the same end. We have
been approached by the French with a view toward participating in
the research connected with the pile constructed in that country, on
condition that we deliver a certain quantity of uranium. Similar
advances have been made to us by Norway with 'a view toward ex-
changing heavy water for uranium. These proposals were not con-
  Section 9a read as follows: "In the event of the Governments of the
United
States of America and of the United Kingdom deciding to utilize as a source
of energy for commercial purpose ores obtained under this agreement the said
Governments will admit the Belgian Government to participation in such
utilization on equitable terms.o


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