THE OIL CRISIS AND CONCURRENT WORLDWIDE EXAMINATION OF NUCLEAR TECHNOLOGY FOCUSES ATTENTION ON THE ECONOMIC, SCIENTIFIC AND SAFETY ADVANTAGES OF FORMING REGIONAL NUCLEAR CENTERS IN VARIOUS AREAS OF THE WORLD. SUCH CENTERS SHOULD BE MULTINATIONALLY FINANCED TO SERVE NATIONAL INCENTIVES TO DEVELOP NUCLEAR POWER CAPABILITIES TO ENERGY-CONSCIOUS COUNTRIES WANTING TO ENTER THE NUCLEAR MARKET. THEY WOULD PERMIT THE SAFE EXPLOITATION OF ATOMIC TECHNOLOGY WHILE PREVENTING INDIVIDUAL NATIONS FROM DEVELOPING AN UNSUPERVISED ATOMIC WEAPONS CAPABILITY. ALTHOUGH ANY DETERMINED COUNTRY CAN PRODUCE NUCLEAR WEAPONS, THE AVAILABILITY OF INTERNATIONAL SUPPORT FOR THE PEACEFUL USE OF NUCLEAR TECHNOLOGY MAY DETER SEVERAL COUNTRIES WHICH WOULD OTHERWISE USE UNREGULATED RADIOACTIVE MATERIALS WITHOUT THE SAFEGUARDS NECESSARY TO PREVENT DIVERSION AND CONTAMINATION. THE INTERNATIONAL ATOMIC ENERGY AGENCY (IAEA) COULD OVERSEE THE FUNCTION OF REGIONAL NUCLEAR CENTERS WITH THE COOPERATION OF THE MAJOR POLITICAL ENTITIES. NATIONS SUCH AS THE SOVIET UNION WHICH HESITATE TO PERMIT INTERNATIONAL INSPECTIONS OF THEIR OWN NUCLEAR FACILITIES SHOULD FAVOR SAFEGUARDS AND SURVEILLANCE AT NEUTRAL SITES. BECAUSE RADIOACTIVE MATERIALS ARE VULNERABLE TO DIVERSION DURING THEIR TRANSPORTATION, A SMALL IAEA INSPECTION TEAM COULD CONCENTRATE ITS EFFORTS AT TRANSPORTATION AND REPROCESSING SITES AND STILL PERFORM EFFECTIVELY. ACTING AS A WARNING SYSTEM RATHER THAN A POLICE FORCE, THE IAEA INSPECTION STAFF COULD CALL WORLD ATTENTION TO HAZARDOUS PRACTICES IN THE NUCLEAR INDUSTRY AND INFLUENCE THE SUPPLIERS OF NUCLEAR TECHNOLOGY. FOOTNOTES ARE PROVIDED. (TWK)