As a controllable means for inducing genetic mutations, radioactive isotopes are speeding up the process of selecting and developing superior agricultural products. Practically every agricultural research center in the world has one or more projects under way which involve the use of isotopes. Small devices have also been constructed which produce electricity from heat generated by decay of radioisotopes. Such devices have been used to power instruments in a remotely located unmanned weather station, a navigational buoy, a lighthouse, an underwater navigational beacon, and space satellites. Many additional uses are foreseen for these isotopic power generators. The Atomic Energy Commission Following the end of World War II a vigorous controversy developed as to whether atomic energy development in the United States should continue under military control or be transferred to civilian control. The proponents of civilian control won out, and a civilian Atomic Energy Commission was established by the Atomic Energy Act of 1946. Under this Act, which was amended in 1954, the AEC manufactures nuclear weapons for the armed services; produces fissionable materials for both military and civilian purposes; fosters research and development in the basic sciences underlying atomic energy and in applications such as power production and uses of radioisotopes; regulates the activities of private organizations using atomic energy; and distributes information about atomic energy. (This booklet is a small example; most of the information distributed is much more detailed and technical.) [Illustration: _President Truman signs the bill creating the U. S. Atomic Energy Commission on August 1, 1946. Behind the President, left to right: Senators Tom Connally, Eugene D. Millikin, Edwin C. Johnson, Thomas C. Hart, Brien McMahon, Warren R. Austin, and Richard B. Russell._ Courtesy United Press International] Almost all of the AEC’s materials production and research and development activities are carried out under contract by other organizations. American industry, universities, and research organizations also are engaged in widespread atomic energy activities of their own, subject only to such government regulations as are needed to protect national security and public health and safety. For example, the largest atomic electric power plants now in operation in this country are privately owned, as are numerous small atomic reactors used for research. At the end of 1962 some 7000 firms, institutions or individuals in the United States held federal or state licenses giving them permission to use radioisotopes. The number of persons employed in atomic energy work in the United States is estimated to be about 140,000, of which only 8000 work for the Federal Government. Toward an International Atom