"In the following report, a new technology is discussed which was first proposed in 1959, but which has been developed mainly since 1964; the in situ production of oil from shale by large underground retorts created by nuclear explosives. The first part of the present report describes this new process; the second part gives an analysis of the United States and the world endowments with crude oil resources and oil shale deposits and finally, the third part deals with expected cost estimates of this new technology as compared with present crude oil prices and potential costs of conventional shale oil production."