The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is a U.S. government agency established in 1975, formed when the [[Atomic Energy Commission|AEC]] was dissolved. It is responsible for regulating the nation's civilian use of nuclear materials and ensuring the public health and safety, common defense and security, and environmental protection. [[James H. Conran]], an analyst in the NRC, was assigned to write a history of nuclear safeguards and sought access to the [[Nuclear Materials and Equipment Corporation|NUMEC]] file, which was initially denied on security grounds.[^1] ### Footnotes [^1]: Hersh, Seymour M. *The Samson Option: Israel's Nuclear Arsenal and American Foreign Policy*. Random House, 1991. Chapter 18.