The Nuclear Energy Commission and the implementation of public policies for the Nuclear Project (1956-1972)

Abstract

This article presents the partial results of the research project in the Seminary of Science History from the Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana, Iztapalapa, named: “The uranium chimera. History of the exploration, extraction and exploitation of uranium in Mexico”. This paper reconstructs and analyzes the implementation of public policy for nuclear research, scientific, and technology developments in Mexico. This public policy can be exemplified in works on the Comisión Nacional de Energía Nuclear (CNEN) and the Centro Nuclear de México (CNM), in the acquisition of equipment and supplies that were imported from the United States, and it can also be observed in the programs for the development of new technologies that, as well as the training of nuclear scientists.

The questions that guide the article are: How can we analyze public policies for the promotion of nuclear science and technology? How were these policies reflected in the transfer of technologies and knowledge? Did the implementation of these policies promote the creation of new knowledge and technologies? How did they serve scientific research? The answers to all of them will be given in three stages of analysis: The first: from the creation of the CNEN to the beginning of the construction of the Centro Nuclear de México (1956-1964), the second will be from the construction of the CNM until its inauguration (1964 to 1970), the third, from the operation of the CNEN in the CNM until its transformation into the Instituto Nacional de Energía Nuclear (1970-1972).