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There is little doubt among nuclear experts that the U.S. must push ahead much faster than AEChairman Strauss is willing to go. Last week, AEC was trying to work out a compromise plan to supply more funds to private industry for research and development. The need is bigger than that. One comprehensive plan was laid out recently by Willis Gale, chairman of Chicago's Commonwealth Edison Co., which will operate the big Dresden power station in 1960. Chairman Gale dismisses the public- v. private-power argument by prefacing his plan with the suggestion that Government aid go both to public and private power combines in roughly the same proportion as their share of current U.S. electric output. He wants a big increase in the number of big nuclear power plants, wants utilities to put the same amount of money in each plant as they would in big conventional plants. But until nuclear power becomes competitive with present power, he wants the Federal Government to make cash contributions to pay most of the difference between nuclear-and conventional-power construction costs. Says Gale: "The only way our country can achieve competitive nuclear power is through the building of a series of full-scale plants like Dresden. Our program must be accelerated."