Knolls Action Project records,
- Author:
- Knolls Action Project.
- Call Number:
- MSS APAP-105 local
- Abstract:
- These records document the activities and interests of the Knolls Action Project (KAP) from 1978-1994. The collection contains meeting minutes, newsletters, leaflets, clippings, reports, books and publications, audiovisuals, and peace-related memorabilia. Historical information for the group can be found in newsletters, meeting minutes, annual reviews and fact sheets. There are also many copies of leaflets distributed at the Knolls Atomic Power Laboratory (KAPL) between 1979 and 1994. Members of the group were also involved in issues such as radioactive contamination, radioactive waste transport, draft resistance and nuclear disarmament, and there is information documenting their work. KAP formed alliances with many national and regional organizations. Its work with the Snake River Alliance and Nukewatch on the Nuclear Waste Track Watch (1992-1993) is well documented. KAP conducted extensive research on nuclear issues, and collected and saved publications from numerous sources. The collection contains official government reports from state and federal agencies, as well as from organizations such as Worldwatch Institute, Institute for Policy Studies, American Friends Service Committee, and The Boston Study Group. There are also copies of legal documents from the ACLU case brought by KAP against KAPL challenging the leafleting restriction imposed by KAPL.
- Historical Note:
- The Knolls Action Project, based in Albany, New York, was formed by local activists to protest the activities of the Knolls Atomic Power Laboratory (KAPL), a General Electric facility that conducted research and training on nuclear propulsion systems for the United States Navy. In October 1978, the group began its Friday morning leafleting of KAPL workers at the facility's two sites, Niskayuna and West Milton. The purpose was to educate workers to the issues related to KAPL and the arms race. By the summer of 1982, KAP was distributing 450-500 leaflets weekly to KAPL employees as they drove to work. KAP was staffed at any given time by a core group of approximately 8-10 volunteers and financed through donations and fundraisers. There was usually one part-time, paid, staff person. In addition to its educational efforts, KAP put military personnel in touch with draft counseling organizations, and developed a program to support KAPL workers who decided to seek alternative employment. In 1982, KAPL management banned KAP from entering the grounds of the Niskayuna facility. The New York Civil Liberties Union took the case to Federal Court claiming KAPL violated the group's constitutional rights and right of free speech. The judge ruled in favor of KAPL in January 1985, explaining it was a classified facility with a right to limit public access. KAP organized other activities aligned with the peace and environmental movements. It organized annual vigils to commemorate the anniversaries of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, encouraged military tax resistance, and protested the transport of nuclear waste. By 1993 KAP began to suffer financially as its members lost energy, and the community lost interest. In 1994, amid rising tensions and disagreement over the direction of the group, KAP members decided to discontinue leafleting.
- Physical Description:
- 24.25 cu. ft
- Access Terms:
- Access to the collection is unrestricted.
- Notes:
- Part of the Archives of Public Affairs and Policy. local
- Subjects:
- Antinuclear movement, Green movement, Nuclear disarmament, Nuclear nonproliferation, Peace movements, Radioactive wastes, Antinuclear movement New York (State), Peace movements United States, Antinuclear movement, Green movement, Nuclear disarmament, Nuclear nonproliferation, Peace movements, and Radioactive wastes
- Genres/Forms:
- Minutes. aat, Newsletters. aat, Reports. aat, Cassette tapes. aat, and Clippings. aat
- Names:
- Aul, Billie, Clark, Karen, Mackay, Daniel, Rembert, Karen, and Shannon, Jack
- Corporate Names:
- Knolls Action Project, American Civil Liberties Union, General Electric Company, Knolls Atomic Power Laboratory, Nuclear Waste Track Watch, Nukewatch, Snake River Alliance, United States. Department of Energy, United States Government Accounting Office, American Civil Liberties Union, General Electric Company, Knolls Atomic Power Laboratory, and United States. Department of Energy
- Geographic Terms:
- New York (State) and United States
Access
Rare books do not circulate
These materials must be viewed onsite in the Special Collections Reading Room.
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