Gen 75 Committee
Encyclopedia
The Gen 75 Committee was a subcommittee
of the British Cabinet
, convened by Prime Minister
Clement Attlee
on 29 August 1945. The purpose of the committee was to discuss and establish the British government's nuclear policy. Gen 75 was dubbed by Attlee as the "Atom Bomb Committee".
Membership of Gen 75 comprised six ministers including: the Prime Minister (Clement Attlee), the Lord President of the Council
(Herbert Morrison
), the Foreign Secretary (Ernest Bevin
), the Chancellor of the Exchequer
(Hugh Dalton
), and A.V. Alexander.
On 18 December 1945, the Gen 75 Committee agreed the initial step of building one or more nuclear reactor
s and the creation of the British nuclear power
programme. Attlee appointed Air Marshal Viscount Portal of Hungerford
, former Chief of the Air Staff, as Controller of Production, Atomic Energy (CPAE). Portal was aidied by a small staff of civil servants, some with experience of the earlier Tube Alloys
project, and enjoyed direct access to the Prime Minister.
The Gen 75 Committee was the successor of the Tube Alloys Consultative Council that met from November 1941 to June 1945, under the chairmanship of Lord President of the Council John Anderson
. Almost all details of the Council and its work were kept secret even from the War Cabinet, of which it was a committee. It was replaced by an official ministerial committee in February 1947.
United Kingdom cabinet committee
The executive arm of the United Kingdom government is controlled by the Cabinet, a group of senior government ministers chaired by the Prime Minister. The Cabinet has a group of committees called cabinet committees, which perform most of the day-to-day work of cabinet government.The committee...
of the British Cabinet
Cabinet (government)
A Cabinet is a body of high ranking government officials, typically representing the executive branch. It can also sometimes be referred to as the Council of Ministers, an Executive Council, or an Executive Committee.- Overview :...
, convened by Prime Minister
Prime minister
A prime minister is the most senior minister of cabinet in the executive branch of government in a parliamentary system. In many systems, the prime minister selects and may dismiss other members of the cabinet, and allocates posts to members within the government. In most systems, the prime...
Clement Attlee
Clement Attlee
Clement Richard Attlee, 1st Earl Attlee, KG, OM, CH, PC, FRS was a British Labour politician who served as the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1945 to 1951, and as the Leader of the Labour Party from 1935 to 1955...
on 29 August 1945. The purpose of the committee was to discuss and establish the British government's nuclear policy. Gen 75 was dubbed by Attlee as the "Atom Bomb Committee".
Membership of Gen 75 comprised six ministers including: the Prime Minister (Clement Attlee), the Lord President of the Council
Lord President of the Council
The Lord President of the Council is the fourth of the Great Officers of State of the United Kingdom, ranking beneath the Lord High Treasurer and above the Lord Privy Seal. The Lord President usually attends each meeting of the Privy Council, presenting business for the monarch's approval...
(Herbert Morrison
Herbert Morrison
Herbert Stanley Morrison, Baron Morrison of Lambeth, CH, PC was a British Labour politician; he held a various number of senior positions in the Cabinet, including Home Secretary, Foreign Secretary and Deputy Prime Minister.-Early life:Morrison was the son of a police constable and was born in...
), the Foreign Secretary (Ernest Bevin
Ernest Bevin
Ernest Bevin was a British trade union leader and Labour politician. He served as general secretary of the powerful Transport and General Workers' Union from 1922 to 1945, as Minister of Labour in the war-time coalition government, and as Foreign Secretary in the post-war Labour Government.-Early...
), the Chancellor of the Exchequer
Chancellor of the Exchequer
The Chancellor of the Exchequer is the title held by the British Cabinet minister who is responsible for all economic and financial matters. Often simply called the Chancellor, the office-holder controls HM Treasury and plays a role akin to the posts of Minister of Finance or Secretary of the...
(Hugh Dalton
Hugh Dalton
Edward Hugh John Neale Dalton, Baron Dalton PC was a British Labour Party politician who served as Chancellor of the Exchequer from 1945 to 1947, when he was implicated in a political scandal involving budget leaks....
), and A.V. Alexander.
On 18 December 1945, the Gen 75 Committee agreed the initial step of building one or more nuclear reactor
Nuclear reactor
A nuclear reactor is a device to initiate and control a sustained nuclear chain reaction. Most commonly they are used for generating electricity and for the propulsion of ships. Usually heat from nuclear fission is passed to a working fluid , which runs through turbines that power either ship's...
s and the creation of the British nuclear power
Nuclear power
Nuclear power is the use of sustained nuclear fission to generate heat and electricity. Nuclear power plants provide about 6% of the world's energy and 13–14% of the world's electricity, with the U.S., France, and Japan together accounting for about 50% of nuclear generated electricity...
programme. Attlee appointed Air Marshal Viscount Portal of Hungerford
Baron Portal of Hungerford
Baron Portal of Hungerford, of Hungerford in the County of Berkshire, was a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created in 1945 for Marshal of the Royal Air Force Sir Charles Portal upon his retirement as Chief of the Air Staff, with remainder in default of male issue to his...
, former Chief of the Air Staff, as Controller of Production, Atomic Energy (CPAE). Portal was aidied by a small staff of civil servants, some with experience of the earlier Tube Alloys
Tube Alloys
Tube Alloys was the code-name for the British nuclear weapon directorate during World War II, when the development of nuclear weapons was kept at such a high level of secrecy that it had to be referred to by code even in the highest circles of government...
project, and enjoyed direct access to the Prime Minister.
The Gen 75 Committee was the successor of the Tube Alloys Consultative Council that met from November 1941 to June 1945, under the chairmanship of Lord President of the Council John Anderson
John Anderson, 1st Viscount Waverley
John Anderson, 1st Viscount Waverley, GCB, OM, GCSI, GCIE, PC, PC was a British civil servant then politician who served as a minister under Neville Chamberlain and Winston Churchill as Home Secretary, Lord President of the Council and Chancellor of the Exchequer...
. Almost all details of the Council and its work were kept secret even from the War Cabinet, of which it was a committee. It was replaced by an official ministerial committee in February 1947.