This book written by Dr. Petr Beckman was published in 1976, which was several years before I had the pleasure of meeting him. He escaped from Czechoslovakia during the Cold War, and knew plenty about repression. He was Professor of electrical engineering at the University of Colorado in Boulder, and therefore also knew plenty about the generation of energy. I was a subscriber to his “Access to Energy” forum, which advocated that plentiful, inexpensive energy was and is the key to maintaining the incredible freedoms created by a powerful economy. Access to Energy continues to be an excellent pro-energy forum, and it is currently published by Dr. Arthur Robinson.

Dr. Beckman’s acid wit shows up in his dedication of this excellent book, “To Ralph Nader and all who worship the water he walks on.” He then proceeds to discredit Nader’s positions opposing nuclear energy.

The primary point of the book is that there is no safe way to make energy. “Energy is the capacity for doing work, and as long as man is fallible, there is always the possibility that it will do the wrong type of work; to ask for safe energy, therefore, is much the same as asking for incombustible fuel.” However, nuclear energy is “far safer than any other form of energy.”

There is considerable discussion as to how those opposed to nuclear power were able to convince many that it is too dangerous. The book makes the point that the anti-nuclear critics knew the facts that show non-nuclear methods of power generation to be more dangerous to human health and lives. “They have never seriously disputed the point; they merely ignored it.” Dr. Beckman lamented that the power industry was in a difficult public relations position. “By pointing out nuclear power is safer than fossil-fired power, they would admit that their present power generation is not the safest possible; and well knowing that if nuclear power is banned, the activists will turn against coal (for they are against all large-scale energy conversion hoping to force their recommended lifestyle on everybody else)…” The news media participated in the anti-nuclear campaign by being attracted to the sensational charges being made. There were many reports about the dangers of producing energy by nuclear power, and few reports about the increased danger from producing energy in other manners. Dr. Beckman said the press influences public opinion as much by what they chose not to publish as what they do publish.

I expect that Dr. Beckman would be appalled by the end of building nuclear power plants in this country while other countries successfully committed to nuclear power. I also would expect that he would say that the Three Mile Island accident proved that properly designed safety systems would prevent a disaster while shoddy systems would result in what happened at Chernobyl.

I will mention that Dr. Beckman chastised people who advocated that nuclear power should be championed because of the carbon dioxide emitted from coal-fired plants. He said that the global warming theories are not based on sound science, and that he would not corrupt his reputation by using that as a reason for nuclear energy. (These are my words. He would have said it better.)