About the nuclear venture in France : the great history and the footnotes

The great history of the French nuclear programme is well known : it consists of dates standing out, of political choices and significant decisions. The footnotes of this history are less known : they concern the people and the enterprises that took part in this great venture and played an important part in the decisions taking and implementing. Philippe BOULIN was one of the architects of this venture on the manufacturers side. He shows how full of traps was this programme, and how for Framatome it looked like running an assault course during which technical and organisational problems were to be dealt with while keeping a close eye on the other competitors. It was also mandatory to come in terms with other less ordinary interested parties.