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Bay State Center for Economic Conversion (BSCFEC)
Records, 1968-1993 (Bulk, 1982-1986)
12 file boxes; 1 shoe
box
Processed: November, 2000
By Jill Snyder
Accession number:
100-01
Provenance
The records of the Bay State Center for Economic Conversion were donated to, the University of Massachusetts Boston Archives by Louise A. Bruyn, in March 2000.History
The Bay State Center for Economic Conversion (BSCFEC) focussed on the relationship between the peace and labor movements. Their main goal was to work with companies with military contracts to show them that they did not need to rely on military contracts for their survival. The BSCFEC had meetings, did research, produced a newsletter the Bay State Converter, provided a resource library, and provided the support for community organizing around this issue. The BSCFEC began during the winter of 1983, adding onto the foundation of the Bay State Conversion Group. The BSCFEC moved into their new offices in March of 1983 where they shared space with High Tech Professionals for Peace in Cambridge's Central Square. A staff person of the American Friends Service Committee Disarmament! Peace Conversion Program also was the Bay State Centers only staff, with most of the organization being volunteer run. The BSCFEC worked on a project called the Cambridge Resource Project whose goal was to create a map of Cambridge companies with military contracts. The BSCFEC also conducted a research project called Community Based Research into Massachusetts Military Dependency. They sent out questionnaires to churches, neighbors, and students. The goal was to collect information about military contractors in this area. The BSCFEC closed its doors in November of 1987 because of an inability to staff the office, get the newsletter out, and to organize.Scope and Content
This collection documents the activities of a community peace and justice organization in Cambridge that saw it as their mission to help companies with military contracts to work towards nuclear disarmament.- I. United Nations
Special Session on Disarmament (SSD)
II. Administrative files (BSCFEC)
II. Resource Library
Most of the collection was kept in its original order. A few folders were relocated to fit into their appropriate series. Copies of the Bay State Converter found throughout the collection were pooled together and rearranged chronologically. This file can be found in the Administrative Files series. Most of the folder titles were maintained.
Series I: The United Nations Special Session on Disarmament (28
folders, box 1-2, 1981-1983) [Bulk date: 1982]
These files pre date
the BSCFEC. The files contain lists of people interested in the United
Nations Special Session on Disarmament (SSD), volunteer information,
proposals and funding agreements, SSD endorsements, mailgrams to President
Reagan, directions, SSD finances, T-shirt order forms, and button order
forms. The SSD took place in New York in May of 1982. These files document
the activities that took place to organize a group of people to
participate in this activity. The folders appear to have been arranged in
subject files.
Series II: Administrative files (BSCFEC) (108 folders, box 2-7,
1979-1987) [bulk dates: 1983-1986]
These are the administrative files
of the BSCFEC. There does not appear to be any clear organization to the
files. However, the first few files are dated earlier than the others were
made when the BSCFEC was beginning. The rest of the files are made up of
correspondence, and newsletters from other peace and justice
organizations, originals of letters and the BSCFEC newsletter (Bay State
Converter), lists of addresses, legislation information, and articles and
papers written about economic conversion.
Series III: Resource Library (65 folders and one card catalog, box
7-13, 1968-1993) [bulk dates 1983-1985]
These files are publications
(i.e. newsletters, magazines, pamphlets, flyers) collected by the BSCFEC.
The information was probably used as a resource library for BSCFEC members
and for others requesting information. It appears as if there was an
auempt at organizing the information by subject matter, but that
organization was not continued. This series also contains a card catalog
of resources in print, and on film in reference to economic conversion and
nuclear disarmament. Much of this series was found in folder boxes. This
is noted in the folder titles. Not all citations in the catalog are found
in the BSCFEC information files.
Archives and Special Collections Department
Healey Library, University of Massachusetts at Boston