Barton C. Hacker Papers, 1955-1995

Overview of the Collection

Creator
Hacker, Barton C., 1935-
Title
Barton C. Hacker Papers
Dates
1955-1995 (inclusive)
Quantity
2.1 cubic feet, (6 boxes)
Collection Number
MSS HackerB
Summary
The Barton C. Hacker Papers document Hacker’s career as a historian of radiation safety, and primarily consist of materials related to his service as historian to the Department of Energy’s (DOE) Dosimetry Research Project, beginning in 1979. The collection also contains general research materials, committee documents, and conference proceedings and papers.
Repository
Oregon State University Libraries, Special Collections and Archives Research Center
Special Collections and Archives Research Center
121 The Valley Library
Oregon State University
Corvallis OR
97331-4501
Telephone: 5417372075
Fax: 5417378674
scarc@oregonstate.edu
Access Restrictions

The collection is open for research.

Languages
English

Historical NoteReturn to Top

Barton C. Hacker is Curator of Armed Forces History at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History. Beginning in 1979, he served as Historian at Reynolds Electrical and Engineering Company (REECo), working on the Dosimetry Research Project for the Department of Energy, which sought to comprehensively identify, locate, and centralize records related to human radiation exposure. He formerly served as Laboratory Historian at the University of California's Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, and has held teaching or research positions at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Iowa State University, the University of Houston, University of Chicago, and Oregon State University (from 1986-1992). He is a recipient of the Leonardo da Vinci Medal of the Society for the History of Technology and of several writing prizes. He has curated major exhibits on Submarines in the Cold War and West Point in the Making of America. His publications include books on the history of Project Gemini, radiation safety in nuclear weapons testing, and world military institutions, as well as many articles and book reviews on a wide range of topics in the history of military technology.

Content DescriptionReturn to Top

The Barton C. Hacker Papers document Hacker’s career as a historian of radiation safety, and primarily consist of materials related to his service as historian to the Department of Energy’s (DOE) Dosimetry Research Project, beginning in 1979. These records reflect his efforts to identify and locate records related to human radiation exposure in institutions and organizations around the country, and his later scholarly work on radiation exposure and hazards. The collection includes indexes and chronologies, photocopies of original archival documents and records, correspondence, articles, clippings, publications, conference proceedings, and manuscripts.

Use of the CollectionReturn to Top

Preferred Citation

Barton C. Hacker Papers (MSS HackerB), Oregon State University Libraries Special Collections & Archives Research Center, Corvallis, Oregon.

Administrative InformationReturn to Top

Arrangement

The Barton C. Hacker Papers are arranged into four series: I: Department of Energy Dosimetry Research Project Research Files, 1955-1991; II: General Research Files, 1960-1995; III: Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory Files, 1995; IV: Papers and Conference Materials, 1974-1994. Folders are arranged chronologically within each series.

Detailed Description of the CollectionReturn to Top

Series I:  Department of Energy Dosimetry Research Project Files, 1955-1995Return to Top

Series I, Department of Energy Dosimetry Research Project Research Files, contains indexes, document lists, and records surveys of archival documents related to human radiation testing and exposure that Hacker located at various U. S. institutions and organizations, including the Defense Nuclear Agency, the Atomic Energy Commission, and the Reynolds Electrical and Engineering Company. It also contains calendars and chronologies of events in radiation history prepared by Hacker to assist in his task of locating and compiling records related to those events. Though the majority of the series are compilations of or lists of records and archival sources, there are some photocopies of archival documents related to Hacker’s work.

Container(s) Description Dates
Box/Folder
1.1
Dosimetry Research Project Mission and Task Documents
1978, 1982
1.2
Brief History of Nuclear Weapons Testing Support by REECo and Affiliated Companies
undated
1.3
Evaluation of Radioactive Fallout, Armed Forces Special Weapons Project
undated
1.4
REECo Historical Radiation Records and Field Documents, 1955-1957
1980
1.5
Columbia University, Lamont Geological Observatory, Project Sunshine Progress Report
1955
1.6
REECo Historical Radiation Records
1955, 1961
1.7
REECo Historical Radiation Records, Operations Teapot, Plumbob, Hardtack II
1955-1961
1.8
REECo Historical Radiation Records and Field Documents
1958-1961
1.9
REECo Historical Radiation Records, Radiation Area Personnel Listings
1959-1961
1.10
REECo Historical Radiation Records, Operation Nougat
1961-1962
2.1
REECo Historical Radiation Records, Operation Storax
1962-1963
2.2
REECo Historical Radiation Records, Operation Inblick
1963-1964
2.3
Operation Nougat On-site Radiological Safetly Report
1964
2.4
REECo Historical Radiation Records, Operation Whetstone
1964-1965
2.5
Los Alamos/ AEC Memos Regarding Offsite Radiological Safety in Pacific Test Area
1965-1967
2.6
REECo Historical Radiation Records, Operation Flintlock
1965-1966
2.7
REECo Historical Radiation Records, Operation Latchkey
1966-1967
2.8
REECo Historical Radiation Records, Operation Crosstie
1967-1969
2.9
REECo Historical Radiation Records, Operation Bowline
1968-1969
2.10
REECo Historical Radiation Records, Operation Mandrel
1969-1970
2.11
REECo Historical Radiation Records, Operation Emery
1970-1971
2.12
REECo Historical Radiation Records, Operations Grommet and Toggle
1971-1973
2.13
Atomic Energy Commission Reviews to Insure Safety of Nuclear Operations
1972
2.14
Department of Energy Document Duplication Requests
1981
2.15
Defense Nuclear Agency Estimated/Calculated Radiation Doses for Personnel, Multiple Operations
1981-1982
2.16
Defense Nuclear Agency Estimated/Calculated Radiation Doses for Personnel, Multiple Operations
1983-1984
3.1
Defense Nuclear Agency, Nuclear Test Personnel Review
1983
3.2
Defense Nuclear Agency, Nuclear Test Personnel Review Archival Sources
1983
3.3
Defense Nuclear Agency Nuclear Test Personnel Review Archival Sources
1984
3.4
Nevada Test Site Review Documents
1984
3.5
Records Transfer Inventory, US Department of Energy Nevada Office
1984
3.6
Committee on Veteran’s Affairs Operation Crossroads Information Request
1984
3.7
Inventory of Documents for REECo History Project
1985
3.8
Defense Nuclear Agency, Personnel Participation in Atmospheric Nuclear Weapons Testing Document List
1986
4.1
Review copy, “Fireballs at Dawn,” Offsite Radiation Exposure Review Project
1990
4.2
Nuclear Weapons Testing Chronology
1991
4.3
Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory Survey of Nuclear Testing and Fallout Records
1991
4.4
Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory, Central File Index from 1949-1968
1991
4.5
Pre-Bravo Operation Castle Calendar of Papers and Chronology of Events through 1954
undated
4.6
Calendar of Papers and Chronology of Events Related to Fukuryu Maru Incident through 1955
undated

Series II:  General Research Files, 1960-1995Return to Top

Series II, General Research Files, consists of journal and magazine articles, newspaper clippings, syllabi and full publications related to Hacker’s later scholarly work.

Container(s) Description Dates
Box/Folder
5.1
Journal: Special Issue on Arms Control, Daedulus v. 89 no. 4
Fall 1960
5.2
Journal: Health Physics 25th Anniversary Issue
June 1980
5.3
Department of Energy United States Nuclear Weapons Program, A Summary History
1983
5.4
Literature Review for Records of Radiation Cases and Atomic Study Personnel
1983-1984
5.5
Journal: Los Alamos Science n. 7
1983
5.6
Journal: “How One Town in Oregon is Saying No to the Bomb,” Northwest Review v. 22, no. 3
1984
5.7
Syllabi for Arms Control/Nuclear Threat
1986-1987
5.8
Radiation Health Safety/Dosage Health Studies Documentation
1989-1992
6.1
Journal: Los Alamos Science n.21
1993

Series III:  Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory Files, 1995Return to Top

Series III, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory Files, consists of reports and committee materials related to two committees that Hacker was an active part of while employed there: the Human Subjects Task Force, and the Advisory Committee on Human Radiation Exposure.

Container(s) Description Dates
Box/Folder
6.2
Nuclear Weapons Information Project Archiving Plan Draft
1995
6.3
Advisory Committee on Human Radiation Exposure, Update on Marshall Islands
1995
6.4
Human Subjects Task Force
undated

Series IV:  Papers and Conference Materials, 1974-1994Return to Top

Series IV, Papers and Conference Materials, consists of conference proceedings and readings for two conferences, primarily the Institute on Global Conflict and Cooperation Summer Session, as well as several papers delivered by Hacker at various conferences.

Container(s) Description Dates
Box/Folder
6.5
Nucleonics Week: Reactor Safety
1974-1975
6.6
Institute on Global Conflict and Cooperation: Sociological Perspectives
1985
6.7
Institute on Global Conflict and Cooperation: Historical Perspectives
1987
6.8
Institute on Global Conflict and Cooperation: Summer Seminar on Global Security and Arms Control Sessions 1-5
1987
6.9
Institute on Global Conflict and Cooperation: Summer Session on Global Security and Arms Control Session 6-14
1987
6.10
Institute on Global Conflict and Cooperation: Summer Seminar on Global Security and Arms Control Sessions 15-22
1987
6.11
“Bravo and the Marshallese: The 1954 H-Bomb Test and Its Consequences”
1992
6.12
“Coming in from the Cold: Science, Politics, and Nuclear Weapons Testing“
1993
6.13
“Radioactive Atolls: Cleaning Up After the Bombs, 1958-1978”
1994

Names and SubjectsReturn to Top

Subject Terms

  • Nuclear weapons--Moral and ethical aspects--United States.
  • Nuclear weapons--Research.
  • Nuclear weapons--Social aspects.
  • Nuclear weapons--United States--Testing--Safety measures--History.
  • Radiation--Safety measures.

Corporate Names

  • Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory.
  • Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory.
  • Reynolds Electrical & Engineering Co.
  • U.S. Atomic Energy Commission.
  • United States. Defense Nuclear Agency.