Guide to the Physicians for Social Responsibility, Pittsburgh, Pa. Records, 1960s-2006 AIS.2005.02
Arrangement
Repository
ULS Archives & Special Collections
Title
Physicians for Social Responsibility, Pittsburgh, Pa. Records
Creator
Physicians for Social Responsibility (U.S.). Pittsburgh Chapter
Collection Number
AIS.2005.02
Extent
4.75 Linear Feet(5 boxes)
Date
1960-2006
Date
1971-2004
Abstract
Physicians for Social Responsibility (PSR) is a non-profit organization dedicated to educating the public about the medical hazards of nuclear weapons and advocating nuclear disarmament. These records reflect the work done by PSR Pittsburgh from its founding in 1971 to 2006. The majority of the records cover the group's efforts, during the 1980s, to promote bans on nuclear testing, reduction and eventual abolition of nuclear weapons, and amicable relations between the United States and the Soviet Union. Most material in this collection is in the form of minutes, correspondence, information about nuclear weapons, and records from public events.
Language
English
.
Author
Charles Stanford.
Publisher
ULS Archives & Special Collections
Address
University of Pittsburgh Library System Archives & Special Collections Website: library.pitt.edu/archives-special-collections Business Number: 412-648-3232 (Thomas) | 412-648-8190 (Hillman) Contact Us: www.library.pitt.edu/ask-archivist URL: http://library.pitt.edu/archives-special-collections
History
Physicians for Social Responsibility (PSR) is a non-profit organization dedicated to advocating nuclear disarmament and educating the public about the medical hazards of nuclear weapons. The group began in the early 1960s in response to atom bomb testing. PSR was instrumental in the signing of the Partial Test Ban Treaty in 1963 and has worked for the signing of the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty since then. The national organization is based in Washington, D.C., and maintains a website at http://www.psr.org.
In 1971, a group of physicians from the Pittsburgh area met to form a group dedicated to important current social issues, including nuclear weapons and the Vietnam War, and organized themselves as PSR Pittsburgh, the chapter of PSR representing western Pennsylvania.
PSR is the United States affiliate of International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War (IPPNW), which was founded in 1980 and was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1985. Other groups which have worked with PSR at national and local levels include Peace Links, the Union of Concerned Scientists, Educators for Social Responsibility, Faculty for Social Responsibility, and the Thomas Merton Center. In 1984 PSR Pittsburgh and the Pittsburgh chapter of Pennsylvania Peace Links joined with other groups to form the Pittsburgh Coalition to Prevent Nuclear War.
Scope and Content Notes
These records come from files kept by Dr. Jack Paradise, a pediatrics professor at the University of Pittsburgh, who has participated actively in PSR Pittsburgh since its founding, serving intermittently in leadership offices throughout the 1980s and 1990s. Files from the 1970s show the beginning steps to organize local physicians into what became PSR Pittsburgh, the group's opposition to the Vietnam War, and their attempts to work for the benefit of Chilean health workers under the Pinochet regime.
PSR Pittsburgh was especially active in the early to mid-1980s, organizing public events to raise public awareness of the dangers of nuclear weapons, call for nuclear disarmament, and promote amicable relations between the United States and the Soviet Union. The bulk of the records in this collection date from that time, but there is also some documentation relating to other issues, including the Iraq war begun in 2003.
In October 2009, Dr. Jack Paradise donated additional materials relating to the organization. Included were files from the national chapter of Physicians for Social Responsibility in the 1960s and additional files on the "In Concert for Peace" event. The new material has been added at the end of each existing series. Further scope notes are found after each series title.
Arrangement
The records are arranged in three series. Series I contains general minutes and correspondence; Series II holds a great deal of information about nuclear weapons gathered from various sources; and Series III shows the activities that PSR Pittsburgh organized in pursuit of its mission. The three series are named as follows:
Series I. Administrative Files
Series II. Subject Files
Series III. Outreach Activities
Access Restrictions
No restrictions.
Accruals
Additional material received in June 2006 and October 2009.
Acquisition Information
Gift of Jack Paradise in May 2005.
Previous Citation
Physicians for Social Responsibility, Pittsburgh, Pa. Records, 1971-2004, AIS.2005.02, Archives Service Center, University of Pittsburgh
Preferred Citation
Physicians for Social Responsibility, Pittsburgh, Pa. Records, 1971-2004, AIS.2005.02, Archives & Special Collections, University of Pittsburgh Library System
Processing Information
This collection was processed by Charles Stanford in June 2006. Wendy Pflug processed the materials added to the collection finding aid in February 2011.
Related Material
Pennsylvania Peace Links Records, 1981-2004, AIS.2004.09, Archives & Special Collections, University of Pittsburgh Library System
Pittsburgh Peace Institute Records, 1984-1997, AIS.1998.01, Archives & Special Collections, University of Pittsburgh Library System
Thomas Merton Center Records, 1971-2004, AIS.1982.19, Archives & Special Collections, University of Pittsburgh Library System
Separated Material
Newsletters, including the IPPNW Report and the PSR Monitor, have been cataloged in the University Library System, along with other publications donated with the collection.
Copyright
The University of Pittsburgh holds the property rights to the material in this collection, but the copyright may still be held by the original creator/author. Researchers are therefore advised to follow the regulations set forth in the U.S. Copyright Code when publishing, quoting, or reproducing material from this collection without the consent of the creator/author or that go beyond what is allowed by fair use.
Subjects
Corporate Names
Educators for Social Responsibility (U.S.)
Faculty for Social Responsibility (U.S.)
International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War
Peace Links
Pennsylvania Peace Links
Physicians for Social Responsibility (U.S.). Pittsburgh Chapter
Pittsburgh Coalition to Prevent Nuclear War (Pa.)
Thomas Merton Center (Pittsburgh, Pa.)
Union of Concerned Scientists
Personal Names
Paradise, Jack
Lown, Bernard
Rush, Molly
Geographic Names
Pittsburgh (Pa.)
Other Subjects
Peace movements -- Pennsylvania -- Pittsburgh -- Societies, etc.
Antinuclear movement -- Pennsylvania -- Pittsburgh
Physicians -- Pennsylvania -- Pittsburgh -- Political activity
