Atomic Energy Commission

The United States Atomic Energy Commission (AEC), founded in 1946, was a U.S. government agency responsible for civilian and military atomic energy programs until its dissolution in 1975, when functions transferred to the Energy Research and Development Administration and Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Key activities included nuclear weapons development, energy research, and oversight of atomic sites like Hanford, Oak Ridge, and Los Alamos. In UAP/UFO context, early sightings from 1947 were speculated by media and experts to link to atomic experiments, such as 'transmutation of atomic energy' at sites including White Sands and Hanford, amid Cold War tensions. Incidents reported at Oak Ridge (1952) and Hanford involved radar-detected UFOs near facilities. Astronomer J. Allen Hynek later hypothesized UFOs as unknown nuclear phenomena. No AEC-led UFO programs identified; reports tied to site proximity, not formal investigations. Current status: defunct.