sl 454    National Nuclear Weapons Freeze Campaign
Records, 1980-1986
242 Folders

Western Historical Manuscript collection
University Of Missouri-St. Louis


Randy Kehler, former director of the National Nuclear Weapons Freeze Campaign, donated the group's records to the Western Historical Manuscript Collection at the University of Missouri-St. Louis on May 15, 1985.

The National Nuclear Weapons Freeze Campaign began in 1979 when Randall Forsberg, Director of the Institute for Defense and Disarmament Studies in Brookline, MA drafted "The Call to Halt the Nuclear Arms Race," a four page statement outlining a bilateral nuclear weapons freeze strategy. U.S. peace groups and arms control experts held a national conference to approve the strategy in March 1981. More than three hundred and fifty representatives from over 30 states met at Georgetown University to call for broad and visible public pressure on Congress to work toward a comprehensive freeze between the U.S. and Soviet Union.

Major national religious, civic, and political organizations that became early endorsers of the Freeze included the YWCA, the National Conference of Black Mayors, the national board and social issues offices of the National Council of Churches, and the United Presbyterian Church, the Unitarian Universalists Association, and the Bishops and diocesan conventions within the Episcopal and Roman Catholic Churches. These and other organizations provided educational activities on the Freeze and actively promoted it.

The national office of the Nuclear Weapons Freeze Campaign opened in St. Louis December 2, 1981. Randy Kehler became its first national coordinator. A longtime peace activist, Kehler had worked at the Trapcock Peace Center in western Massachusetts where he helped organize local Freeze referendums. The national freeze office in St. Louis acted as an information clearinghouse for thousands of similar Freeze groups around the country.

The Nuclear Weapons Freeze Campaign designated "Disarmament Week" in late October 1981. It called on local organizations to create exhibits, show films, and hold lectures, press conferences, religious services, and teach-ins about the danger of nuclear war. The campaign also held a national "Call-In" on October 26, 1981, encouraging Americans to call the White House and urge President Reagan to propose a mutual freeze to Premier Brezhnev of the U.S.S.R.

The Nuclear Freeze Political Action Committee, FREEZEPAC, formed in April 1982. This bi-partisan committee supported candidates for the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives who advocated a comprehensive, verifiable bilateral nuclear weapons freeze. During the 1982 elections, more than fifty percent of the candidates FREEZEPAC supported won office.

During Fall 1982, in the closest equivalent to a national referendum in the history of American democracy, thirty percent of the American electorate voted on a bilateral freeze proposal put on local ballots through the efforts of the Freeze campaign. The proposal won by a 60 to 40 percent margin.

At its fourth national convention held in St. Louis in December 1983, the National Nuclear Weapons Freeze Campaign established "Freeze Voter '84," a political action committee, to campaign for candidates supporting the Freeze and work towards the defeat of candidates opposing it. Conference participants called on Congress to pass a "quick freeze" to halt funding for testing and development of nuclear weapons. They also expanded their platform to include: getting the U. S. and the Soviet Union to adopt non-intervention policies in Third World countries; adopting a "no first use" policy on nuclear weapons; and banning the use of satellite and space weapons.

At their national conference in December 1984, the National Nuclear Weapons Freeze Campaign endorsed three non-violent civil disobedience actions: the Central America invasion contingency plan, an August witness at the Nevada Nuclear Test Site, and anti-apartheid demonstrations. Legislative priorities included ending the production of the MX missile and cutting off funds for weapons programs.

SCOPE AND CONTENT

The National Nuclear Weapons Freeze Campaign records document the grassroots movement to get the U.S. and the Soviet Union to adopt a mutual freeze on the testing, production, and deployment of nuclear weapons and missiles. The collection is arranged alphabetically according to the files of Randy Kehler.

The decentralized structure of the campaign allowed for the self-determination of local groups, coordinated by the national office. Kehler kept files of peace groups around the country organized solely around the Freeze issue, and already existing peace groups that adopted the Nuclear Freeze issue as part of their agenda.

The collection includes these groups' advertisements, correspondence, posters, petitions, and resolutions using the issues most relevant to their locale while preserving the integrity of the overall Freeze movement. Some groups stressed the effects of nuclear war, others emphasized the danger of a "limited" nuclear war, and others concentrated on the economic effects of the arms race. The groups include: Citizens Against Nuclear War, Common Cause, Council for a Livable World, Federation of American Scientists, Ground Zero, Physicians for Social Responsibility, SANE, Sojourners, Southern Christian Leadership Conference, and the Women's Initiative Project. Kehler also kept the files of international peace groups such as the Dutch Inter-church Peace Council, and European Nuclear Disarmament groups.

The collection also documents materials generated by the national office, including: budgets, correspondence, fundraising reports, executive and strategy committee meeting minutes, media strategies, newsletters, press statements, outreach program reports, national conference packets, political training kits, and political action committee questionnaires and correspondence concerning the presidential and congressional elections of 1984.

The collection dates primarily from 1981-1985. The movement generated most of the national material in late 1983 when it became active in political campaigning. Correspondents include John Anderson, Daniel Ellsberg, Helen Caldicott, Senator Mark Hatfield, and Senator Edward Kennedy.

FOLDER LIST

BOX 1, FOLDERS 1-21
1. American Committee on East West Records, 1983
2. Anderson, John, 1982-1983
3. Anti-Satellite Weapons, 1983-1984
4. Arms and Education Control Project, 1984
5. Arms Control Association, 1983-1984
6. Arms Control Strategies and Resolutions, 1982-1984
7. Arms Control Strategies and Resolutions, 1985-
8. Arts for a Nuclear Weapons Freeze, 1983-1984
9. Battleship Iowa, 1983
10. British Disarmament Movement, 1982-1984
11. Build-Down, 1983
12, Business Executives for Natural Security, 1983-1984
13. California Trip, 1983
14. Campus Task Force/Student Movements, 1983-1985
15. Central America, 1984
16. Citizens Against Nuclear War, 1982-1983
17. Committee for National Security, 1982
18. Common Cause, 1982-1983
19. Comprehensive Test Ban, 1982-1984
20. Congressional Quick Freeze, Jan. - Apr. 1984
21. Congressional Quick Freeze, May 1984 - Jan. 1985

BOX 2, FOLDERS 22-32
22. Congressional Voting Records, Feb. 1982 - Mar. 1983
23. Congressional Voting Records, Mar. 1983 - Feb. 1984
24. Connecticut Freeze, 1984-1985
25. Correspondence, Jan. 1981 - Mar. 1982
26. Correspondence, Apr. 1982 - Jun. 1982
27. Correspondence, Jul. 1982 - Dec. 1982
28. Correspondence, Jan. 1983 - Feb. 1983
29. Correspondence, March 1983
30. Correspondence, Apr. 1983 - May 1983
31. Correspondence, Jun. 1983 - Dec. 1985
32. Correspondence, Jan. 1984 - Feb. 1985

BOX 3, FOLDERS 33-46
33. Council for a Livable World, 1982-1985
34. Council for Nuclear Weapons Freeze, 1982-1984
35. The Day After, Aug. - Oct. 1983
36. The Day After, Nov. 1983 - Feb. 1984
37. The Day After, Organizers Kit
38. Democratic Platform, Jun. 1983 - Oct. 1983
39. Democratic Platform, Mar. 1984
40. Democratic Platform, Mar. 1984
41. Democratic Platform, Mar. - Apr. 1984
42. Democratic Platform, Apr. - May 1984
43. Democratic Platform, May - Sep. 1984
44. Direct Action, Jan. - May, 1984
45. Direct Action, Jun. - Aug. 1984
46. Direct Action, Sep. 1984 - Jan. 1985


BOX 4, FOLDERS 47-57
47. Disarmament Campaigns, 1983-1984
48. Ellsberg, Daniel, 1981-1983
49. Euromissiles, 1981-1983
50. Euromissiles, Jun. - Jul. 1983
51. Euromissiles, Aug. 1983
52. Euromissiles, Sep. - Oct. 1983
53. Euromissiles, Nov. 1983 - Jun. 1984
54. Executive Committee Meetings, Jun. - Dec. 1982
55. Executive Committee Meetings, Jan. 1983 - May 1982
56. Executive Committee Meetings, Jun. - Dec. 1983
57. Executive Committee Meetings, Jan. 1984 - Jan. 1985

BOX 5, FOLDERS 58-70
58. Fast for Life, Aug. - Nov. 1983
59. Federation of American Scientists, 1982-1983
60. Field Organizers' Project, Sep. 1982 - May 1983
61. Field Organizers' Project, Jun. - Jul. 1983
62. Field Organizers' Project, Sep. - Dec. 1983
63. Field Organizers' Project, Jan. - Apr. 1984
64. Field Organizers' Project, May - Jul. 1984
65. Field Organizers' Project, Aug. 1984 - Jan. 1985
66. Films, 1983
67. Forsberg, Randall (Institute for Defense and Disarmament), 1982-1985
68. Foundations and Funders' Fundraising, Oct. 1982 -Aug. 1983
69. Foundations and Funders' Fundraising, Sep. - Dec. 1983
70. Foundations and Funders' Fundraising, Jan. - Nov. 1984

BOX 6, FOLDERS 71-81
71. Foundations and Funders' Fundraising, Jan. - Mar. 1982
72. Freeze Activities for Presidential Campaign of 1984, Oct. 1983 - Oct. 1984
73. Freeze Fridays/Weekend 1984, Feb. - Mar. 1984
74. Freeze Fridays/Weekend 1984, Apr. 1984
75. Freeze Forum, Mar. 22, 1982
76. Freeze Foundation, May - Jun. 1982
77. Freeze Lobby, Aug. 1982 - Apr. 1983
78. Freeze Voter 1984, 1983
79. Freeze Voter 1984, Jan. - Mar. 1984
80. Freeze Voter 1984, Apr. - May 1984
81. Freeze Voter 1984, Jun. 1984 - Jan. 1985

BOX 7, FOLDERS 82-93
82. Gender Gap Action Campaign, 1984
83. Ground Zero, 1982-1983
84. Hatfield, Senator Mark O., 1983
85. House Vote, Jan. - Apr. 1983
86. Humanitas, 1982-1984
87. IKV (Dutch Inter-Church Peace Council), 1981-1984
88. International Freeze and Peace Activities, Mar. 1983 - May 1984
89. International Freeze and Peace Activities, Jul. 1984 - May 1985
90. Itineraries, 1983
91. Itineraries, 1984
92. Kennedy, Senator Edward M., 1982-1984
93. King, Martin Luther, March on Washington, Dec. 1982 - Aug. 1983

BOX 8, FOLDERS 94-105
94. Labor and the Economy, Aug. 1982 - Feb. 1983
95. Labor and the Economy, Mar. - May 1983
96. Labor and the Economy, Jun. - Dec. 1983
97. Labor and the Economy, Jan. 1984 - Feb. 1985
98. League of Women Voters, 1983-1984
99. Legislative Information and Alerts, 1983-1984
100. Legislative Information and Alerts, April 1984
101. Local Elected Officials of America, 1983-1984
102. Local Organizer Mailings, 1982-1983
103. Local Organizer Mailings, Jan. - Jul. 1984
104. Local Organizer Mailings, Aug. 1984 - Apr. 1985
105. Massachusetts Nuclear Freeze, Apr. 1983 - Dec. 1984

BOX 9, FOLDERS 106-121
106. Media Strategy, 1983
107. Media Strategy, 1984
108. Membership, 1983-1985
109. Mideast, Dec. 1983 - Jun. 1984
110. Minorities Outreach Program, Oct. 1982 -
111. Minorities Outreach Program, 1984
112. Miscellaneous Articles, 1983-1984
113. Mobilization for Survival, 1983-1984
114. Musicians Against Nuclear Arms, Oct. 1983
115. MX Missile, 1983-1984
116. National Conference (3rd Annual, Feb. 4-6, 1983), Dec. 1982 - Jan. 1983
117. National Conference (3rd Annual), Feb. - Mar. 1983
118. National Conference (3rd Annual), Correspondence, Jan. - Mar. 1983
119. National Conference (4th Annual, Dec. 2-4, 1983), Sep. - Nov. 1983
120. National Conference (4th Annual), Dec. 1983
121. National Conference (4th Annual), Proposals, November 1983

BOX 10, FOLDERS 122-132
122. National Conference (5th Annual, Dec. 7-9, 1984), Pre-Conference Information and Strategy Proposals, Nov. - Dec. 1984

123. National Conference (5th Annual), Dec. 7-9, 1984
124. National Committee, Mar. - Jan. 1982
125. National Committee, Sep. - Dec. 1982
126. National Committee, 1983
127. National Committee, 1984
128. New Century Policies, 1984
129. Newsclippings and Articles, Mar. 1974 - Dec. 1983
130. Newsclippings and Articles, Jan. - Dec. 1984
131. Newsletters and Copy, Mar. 1981 - Sep. 1983
132. Newsletters and Copy, Oct. 1983 - Jul. 1985

BOX 11, FOLDERS 133-144
133. Nuclear Times, Jan. - Dec. 1983
134. Nuclear Times, Jan. - Apr. 1984
135. Nuclear Weapons Education Fund, May 1983 - Sep. 1984
136. Nuclear Weapons Freeze Staff Questionnaires, Sep. 1984
137. Opposition/Criticism, May 1982 - Mar. 1982
138. Opposition/Criticism, Apr. - Aug. 1982
139. Opposition/Criticism, Sep. - Oct. 1982
140. Opposition/Criticism, Nov. 1982 - Feb. 1983
141. Opposition/Criticism, Mar. 1983 - Oct. 1984
142. Pastoral Letter, Apr. 1983 - Apr. 1984
143. Peace/Disarmament Groups (USA), 1982-1983
144. Peace/Disarmament Groups (USA), 1984-1985

BOX 12, FOLDERS 145-157
145. Peace Education Program, Summer 1983
146. Peace Education Program, Sep. 1983 - Jun. 1984
147. Peace Media Poll and Focus Group, 1984
148. Peace Roundtable, Sep. 1983 - Sep. 1984
149. Physicians for Social Responsibility, 1982-1986
150. Political Action Committee, 1982-1983
151. Political Consultants Meeting, Jan. 20, 1983
152. Political Training, 1982-1984
153. Press Releases, 1982-1984
154. Project `84, Jan. - Mar. 1983
155. Project `84, Apr. - May 1983
156. Project `84, May - Jun. 1983
157. Project `84, Jul. 1983 - 1984

BOX 13, FOLDERS 158-171
158. Reagan, 1980-1984
159. Referenda, Mar. 1982 - Jul. 1982
160. Referenda, Aug. - Nov. 1982
161. Religion, 1982-1984
162. Republican Platform Hearings (Dallas, TX), Jul. - Aug. 1984
163. Republican Platform Hearings/Testimony of Randy Kehler, Jul. - Aug. 1984

164. Resolutions, May 1981 - Mar. 10, 1982
165. Resolutions, Mar. 12, 1982 - May 1982
166. Resolutions, Jun. 1982 - May 1983
167. Resolutions, May - Sep. 1983
168. Retreats, Workshops and Conferences, 1982-1983
169. Retreats, Workshops and Conferences, 1984
170. Reuben (McCormack)/Washington Lobbyist, 1982-1983
171. Riverside Church Disarmament Program, May - Jun. 1983

BOX 14, FOLDERS 172-189
172. St. Louis Nuclear Weapons Freeze Petitions, May 1982
173. SANE (Committee for a Sane Nuclear Policy), 1982-1983
174. SANE (Committee for a Sane Nuclear Policy), 1984
175. Sea-Launch Cruise Missiles (SLCM's), Apr. 1983
176. Senate Foreign Relations Committee Hearings (5/13/82), Apr. - Aug. 1982
177. Senate Foreign Relations Committee Hearings, 1983-1984
178. Senate Freeze Vote, Fall 1983
179. Sojourners, 1982-1984
180. South Africa, Nov. - Dec. 1984
181. Southern Christian Leadership Conference, Apr. - Nov. 1984
182. Soviet Peace Groups, 1983-1984
183. Speaking Engagements Requests, Jan. 1982 - Jul. 1983
184. Speaking Engagements Requests, Sep. 1983
185. Speaking Engagements Requests, 1983-1984
186. Speeches, 1984
187. Staff, Jan. - Jul. 1982
188. Staff, Sep. - Dec. 1982
189. Staff, Jan. - Apr. 1983

BOX 15, FOLDERS 190-203
190. Staff, May - Dec. 1983
191. Staff, Jan. - Apr. 1984
192. Staff. May 1984 - Jan. 1985
193. State of the Campaign
194. Strategy Committee, 1980
195. Strategy Committee, Jan. - Mar. 1981
196. Strategy Committee, Oct. - Dec. 1982
197. Strategy Committee, Jan. - May 1982
198. Strategy Committee, Jun. - Sep. 1982
199. Strategy Committee, Nov. - Dec. 1982
200. Strategy Committee, Dec. 1982
201. Strategy Committee, Jan. 1983
202. Strategy Committee, Feb. - Mar. 1983
203. Strategy Committee, Apr. - May 1983

BOX 16, FOLDERS 204-214
204. Strategy Committee, Jun. - Jul. 1983
205. Strategy Committee, Jul. - Aug. 1983
206. Strategy Committee, Sep. - Oct. 1983
207. Strategy Committee, Oct. 5-31, 1983
208. Strategy Committee, Nov. - Dec. 1983
209. Strategy Committee, Jan. - Mar. 1984
210. Strategy Committee, Apr. 1984
211. Strategy Committee, May 1984
212. Strategy Committee, Jun. - Aug. 1984
213. Strategy Committee, Sep. 1984
214. Strategy Committee, Response Sheets, Oct. 1984

BOX 17, FOLDERS 215-225
215. Strategy Committee, Response Sheets, Oct. 1984
216. Strategy Committee, Response Sheets w/comments, Oct. 1984
217. Strategy Committee, Response Sheets w/comments, Oct. 1-20, 1984
218. Strategy Committee, Response Sheets w/comments, Oct. 21-29, 1984
219. Strategy Committee, Response Sheets w/comments, Oct. 30-31, 1984
220. Strategy Committee, Response Sheets w/comments, November 1984
221. Strategy Committee, December 1984
222. Strategy Committee, 1985
223. Structure of Freeze Campaign, Dec. 1983 - Aug. 15, 1984
224. Structure of Freeze Campaign, Aug. 17 - Sep. 1984
225. Structure of Freeze Campaign, Oct. 1-15, 1984

BOX 18, FOLDERS 226-241
226. Structure of Freeze Campaign, Oct. 16-26, 1984
227. Structure of Freeze Campaign, Oct. 29 - Nov. 4, 1984
228. Structure of Freeze Campaign, Nov. 5, 1985
229. Taylor, Camilla (Children Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament), 1983-1984
230. Tax Resistance
231. Technical Advisory Committee, 1981-1982
232. Ten Reasons to Organize for a Bilateral Freeze, Jan. 1982
233. Texas Freeze, May 1982 - Jul. 1983
234. Texas Freeze, Aug. 1983 - Mar. 1984
235. U.S. Government Relations Task Force, May 1981 - Mar. 1982
236. U.S. Government Relations Task Force, Apr. - Jul. 1982
237. U.S. Government Relations Task Force, Aug. - Dec. 1982
238. Vigil of Hope, n.d.
239. Walks, Jan. - Sep. 1983
240. Walks, Oct. - Dec. 1983
241. Women's Action for Nuclear Disarmament, Inc. (WAND), 1983-1984
242. Women's Peace Initiative Project, 1984

INDEX
American Friends Service Committee, f. 1-242
Anderson, John, f. 2
Andropov, Yuri, f. 182, 206
Arms Control, f. 1-242
Bilateral Nuclear Weapons Freeze f. 1-242
British Disarmament, f. 10, 88, 89
Business Executives for National Security, f. 12
Caldicott, Helen, f. 149, 240
Central America, f. 15
Civil Disobedience, f. 45-46, 230
Comprehensive Test Ban, f. 19
Disarmament, f. 1-242
Ellsberg, Daniel, f. 48
Euromissiles, f. 49-53
Fellowship of Reconciliation, f. 143, 144
Foreign Policy f. 1-242
Freeze Voter `84, f. 78-81
Ground Zero, f. 83
Hardy, T. Walter Jr., f. 25-32
Hatfield, Senator Mark O., f. 84
Hunger Strike - Fast for Life, f. 58
Jobs with Peace and Freedom, f. 94-97
Kennedy, Senator Edward, f. 92
King, Martin Luther, f. 93
Labor, f. 94-97
Minorities, f. 94-97, 110-111
MX Missile, f. 115
National Nuclear Weapons Freeze Campaign, f. 1-242
National Peace Academy f. 145, 146
Peace, f. 1-242
Physicians for Social Responsibility, f. 149
Protests, f. 1-242
St. Louis Nuclear Weapons Freeze Petitions, f. 172
South Africa, f. 180
Southern Christian Leadership Conference, f. 181
Soviet Union, f. 1-242
Tax Resistance, f. 230
Women in Politics, f. 1-242
Women in Politics and Government Relations, f. 1-242

WESTERN HISTORICAL MANUSCRIPT COLLECTION
222 THOMAS JEFFERSON LIBRARY
UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI-ST. LOUIS
8001 NATURAL BRIDGE ROAD
ST. LOUIS, MO 63121

(314) 516-5143
whmc@umsl.edu