American Friends Service Committee: 3rd Accession records
Scope and Contents
The papers of the American Friends Service Committee and the Colorado Peace Network have been broken down into three categories. The first: I. Rocky Flats Nuclear Weapons Plant holds the bulk of the collection, including the documents specifically related to the Nuclear weapons plant in Rocky Flats, including technical practices, various protest movements, environmental information, legal battles, and government actions and publications. The second section: II. Nuclear Weapons, Waste, and Other Environmental Issues contains documents and reports from labs and nuclear sites from all over the country and from various government agencies regarding hazardous material. The final section, III. Colorado Peace Network contains documents pertaining to the CPN’s mission statement, finances, as well as various activities performed by the group.
Dates
- 1970 - 1990
Conditions Governing Access
This collection contains or may contain private and personally identifiable information (PPII). Researchers must sign the University Libraries’ Private and Personally Identifiable Information Agreement in advance of access to collection materials. Contact sca@colorado.edu for more information.
Copyright Statement
The University Libraries may not own the copyright to all materials in this collection. Researchers are responsible for contacting the copyright holder(s) for this material and obtaining permission to publish or broadcast. The University Libraries will not grant permission to publish or broadcast this material and are not responsible for copyright violations resulting from such use.
Conditions Governing Use
Researchers may not make notes, reproductions (including photographs), or other record of any private and personally identifiable information (PPII) located in this collection and may not publish, publicize, or disclose that PPII to any other party for any purpose. Exclusions may apply to researchers who have obtained authorization from the University of Colorado Institutional Review Board to produce human subject research records in de-identified form. All researchers must sign the University Libraries’ Private and Personally Identifiable Information Agreement indicating their understanding of the use restrictions for PPII found in this collection. Contact sca@colorado.edu.
Biographical / Historical
The American Friends Service Committee (AFSC) is a Quaker organization founded on the premise of non-violence and social justice. The AFSC was started during World War I and during this period the organization worked in conflict zones, areas affected by natural disasters, and oppressed communities to aid to those affected by war. In 1974, the AFSC and the Rocky Flats Action Group (RFAG) began to publicize their stance on the Rocky Flats Nuclear Weapons Production Plant (1952-1992) located west of Denver, Colorado. Although these two groups were not one cohesive group, they were very closely related. The AFSC and RFAG primarily focused on the damages Rocky Flats could inflict on the environment and the health of citizens downstream from the plant. The facility was operated by the Dow Chemical Company and Rockwell International. It was chosen by the United States Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) to manage bomb production and in 1953, the plant began to produce plutonium triggers. Throughout the years, the AFSC Rocky Flats group would host rallies, campaigns, and demonstrations to bring community and political attention to the bomb production plant and all of their unsafe practices. In 1983, Tom Rauch would become a staff member of the AFSC and not just a supporter. Rauch stressed the need for disarmament and wanted to challenge plans for new nuclear weapons. The Rocky Flats Project also focused on the influence that Rocky Flats would have on the environment and its health. In 1986, the group played a role in the halting of the use of the Rocky Flats incinerator. In the following year, the FBI conducted a raid of the plant. Eventually in 1989, the plant would be shut down and, many years later was transformed into a wildlife refuge once cleanup was complete. Rauch is the donor of all the Rocky Flats materials to the University of Colorado Boulder Archives.
The Colorado Peace Network (CPN) was a project that was devised to be a support, networking, and nurturing organization. They launched programs such as the National Toxics campaign, the Waste Isolation Pilot Project, and aided in the Rocky Flats Project. The Colorado Peace Network was initially led by Gary Sandusky. Tom Rauch took over leadership when Sandusky stepped down.
Extent
79.5 linear feet (53 boxes)
Language of Materials
English
Abstract
The American Friends Service Committee (AFSC) is a Quaker organization that encourages peace with justice, as their “practical expression of faith in action”. The AFSC is the service arm of their religious organization and the service organization branches into a wide array of social and international causes. The Colorado Area Program specifically worked with the Rocky Flats Project (RFP), and the group aimed to educate and organize community support for nuclear disarmament. The Colorado Peace Network (CPN) is a branch of the American Friends Association that was created for support and networking for the organization’s projects. The papers concern the Rocky Flats Nuclear Weapons Plant, radiation, radioactive waste and hazardous materials, as well as various peace and environmental issues.
Arrangement
Series 1: Rocky Flats Nuclear Weapons Plant, 1979-1989 Subseries 1.1: Activists Subseries 1.2: American Friends Services Committee (AFSC), 1979-1989 Subseries 1.3: Ballot Initiatives Concerning Rocky Flats Subseries 1.4: Blue Ribbon Citizen’s Committee (BRCC) Subseries 1.5: Broomfield, CO Subseries 1.6: Cancer Registry Subseries 1.7: Candidates for Elected Offices Subseries 1.8: Citizens Against Rocky Flats Contamination (CARFC) Denver, CO Subseries 1.9: Cobb, Dr. John Subseries 1.10: Colorado, State of Subseries 1.11: Colorado Department of Health (CDH) Subseries 1.12: Colorado Legislation re RFP Subseries 1.13: Comprehensive Environmental Assessment and Response Program (CEARP) Subseries 1.14: Demonstrations at Rocky Flats Subseries 1.15: E.G. and G. Rocky Flats Subseries 1.16: Incineration of Wastes at Rocky Flats Subseries 1.17: U.S. - DOE Subseries 1.18: Jefferson County Subseries 1.19: Lamm-Wirth Task Force on Rocky Flats Subseries 1.20: Litigation Subseries 1.21: General Subseries 1.22: Sierra Club and CARFC vs. DOE Subseries 1.23: Los Alamos Technical Associates, Inc. Subseries 1.23: Newspaper Clippings Subseries 1.24: Nuclear Weapons Facilities Subseries 1.25: Plutonium Operations Subseries 1.26: Radiation Subseries 1.27: Victims Subseries 1.28: Rockwell International Subseries 1.29: Rocky Flats Action Group Denver, CO Subseries 1.30: Rocky Flats Alliance Denver, CO Subseries 1.31: Rocky Flats Files Subseries 1.32: Rocky Flats Environmental Monitoring Council Golden, CO Subseries 1.33: Rocky Flats Correspondence/General Subseries 1.34: Rocky Flats – Opinion Polls Subseries 1.35: Rocky Flats Workers Subseries 1.36: Rocky Mountain Peace Center Boulder, CO Subseries 1.37: SANE/FREEZE Washington, D.C. Subseries 1.38: Transportation Subseries 1.39: Tritium Subseries 1.40: United States Subseries 1.41: Department of Energy (DOE) Subseries 1.42: Publications Subseries 1.43: Energy Research and Development Administration Subseries 1.44: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Subseries 1.45: General Account Office (GAO) Subseries 1.46: Wastes/Waste Storage at Rocky Flats Subseries 1.47: W-470 Series 2: Nuclear Weapons, Waste, and Other Environmental Issues, n.d. Subseries 2.1: ASARCO-Globe Plant Subseries 2.2: Environmental Policy Institute Washington, D.C. Subseries 2.3: Fernald, OH Subseries 2.4: Hazardous Materials/Wastes Subseries 2.5: Colorado Subseries 2.6: National Toxics Campaign Subseries 2.7: Transportation of Hazardous Materials/Wastes Subseries 2.8: Idaho National Engineering Laboratory (INEL) Moscow, ID Subseries 2.9: Lawrence Livermore Lab Subseries 2.10: Military Production Network (MPN) Subseries 2.11: Oak Ridge, TN Subseries 2.12: Physicians for Social Responsibility (PSR) Subseries 2.13: Radioactive Waste Subseries 2.14: Transportation - General Subseries 2.15: Savannah River Plant Subseries 2.16: Superfund Subseries 2.17: Transportation of Radioactive Materials Subseries 2.18: United States Subseries 2.19: Uranium Mining Subseries 2.20: Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) Series 3: Colorado Peace Network, 1988-1989 Subseries 3.1: Board Meetings Subseries 3.2: Financial Subseries 3.3: Activities Series 4: Audio Visual Materials, n.d. Subseries 4.1: Movies
- Status
- In Progress
- Author
- Processed by Harvey N. Gardiner, November 1996. Edited by Gabriel K. Fishman, June 2015. Transcribed into ArchivesSpace by Katelyn Morken, May 2018.
- Date
- November 1996
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
Repository Details
Part of the University of Colorado Boulder Libraries, Rare and Distinctive Collections Repository
