Showcase: Protest and Survive
This is an online version of an exhibition on peace movements held at the Modern Records Centre. It was put together to mark the 50th anniversary of the foundation of the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND) in 2008, and to highlight some of our archive collections relating to anti-Vietnam War protests in Britain.
'The Hydrogen Bomb', 1957
Government booklet produced to explain, to the general public, "the facts about the hydrogen bomb", and what can be done to reduce its effects and save lives.
Included in the 'Miscellaneous Collection' of documents; document reference: MSS.21/3657.
Invitation to join CND, 1958
Letter from Canon Collins, one of the founders of the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament, inviting Victor Gollancz to become a sponsor of the new organisation, February 1958
Included in the papers of Victor Gollancz; document reference: MSS.157/3/ND/1/66.
CND policy statement, 1958
Sent to Victor Gollancz with the above letter from Canon Collins.
Included in the papers of Victor Gollancz; document reference: MSS.157/3/ND/1/67.
Leaflet advertising the first mass meeting of the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament, 1958
Sent to Victor Gollancz with the above letter from Canon Collins.
Included in the papers of Victor Gollancz; document reference: MSS.157/3/ND/1/68.
'No nuclear war for Berlin' (1961)
CND leaflet reflecting East-West tensions over Berlin and the division of Germany.
Included in the records of the Union of Post Office Workers; MSS.148/UCW/6/13/21/15.
'Seven days that shook the world', undated (c.1962)
CND leaflet produced after the Cuban missile crisis. It argues that "Britain is to America what Cuba was to Russia: an advance missile base".
Included in the 'Miscellaneous Collection' of documents; document reference: MSS.21/3369/20.
'Air Ministry... Would YOU press the button?', undated (c.1962)
Letter produced by the London 'Committee of 100', an organisation formed by Bertrand Russell, after his resignation from the presidency of CND, to organise acts of non-violent civil disobedience.
Included in the 'Miscellaneous Collection' of documents; document reference: MSS.21/3369/9.
'Advising the householder on protection against nuclear attack', 1963
'Civil Defence Handbook No.10', containing government advice on what to do before, during and after an attack. It was intended for members of the civil defence, police and fire services.
Included in the 'Miscellaneous Collection' of documents; document reference: MSS.21/3659.
'Street Power': Briefing to all demonstrators, 1968
Advice to marchers from the October 27 Ad Hoc Committee. An earlier demonstration against the Vietnam War, on 17 March 1968, had led to violence outside the US Embassy in Grosvenor Square, London. The 27 October demonstration was mostly peaceful but very heavily policed.
Included in the 'Miscellaneous Collection' of documents; document reference: MSS.21/3369/29.
'Vietnam', undated (late 1960s?)
Comic strip summary of the background to the war, published by Manchester Vietnam Solidarity Campaign.
Included in the papers of Bob Purdie (b.1940), socialist and trade unionist; document reference: MSS.149/2/14/3/5.
'Ho Chi Minh... The war maniac of Vietnam', undated (late 1960s?)
Leaflet published by the Group of Anarchs - The Leaders of Revolt, criticising support given to the North Vietnamese leader by anti-war campaigners, including Fenner Brockway.
Included in the papers of Jack Askins: Anti-Vietnam War Movement; document reference: MSS.189/V/2/4/1.
'1199 drug and hospital news': 'The war hurts all of us! a special feature', July 1970
United States trade union publication which highlights the social problems exacerbated by the war in Vietnam. The section reproduced here covers "Racism and repression... twin evils made worse by war".
Included in the papers of Jack Askins: Anti-Vietnam War Movement; document reference: MSS.189/V/2/5/1.
'PEACE' (People Emerging Against Corrupt Establishments), vol.1, no.2, 1970
"A paper by and for GI's with the intent to foster a more humane military. Published underground and RAF Mildenhall, England".
Included in the papers of Jack Askins: Anti-Vietnam War Movement; document reference: MSS.189/V/2/5/19.
Greenham Common Women's Peace Camp, undated (early 1980s)
One of a series of photographs relating to the activities of West Midlands CND during the 1980s and early 1990s.
Included in the papers of West Midlands Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament; document reference: MSS.417/165/1.
'Defend Molesworth against Cruise NOW', undated (c1985)
Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament leaflet "calling for non-violent resistance to the construction work at Molesworth". RAF Molesworth was one of the two intended sites for Cruise missiles in Britain (the other was Greenham Common).
Included in the archive of CND; document reference: MSS.181X/4/10/20.
'Sanity': magazine of the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND), 1991
The Modern Records Centre has editions of 'Sanity' dating from 1961-1991. This edition includes articles on the Gulf War, Middle East, and Eastern Europe after the fall of Communism.
Included in the records of CND; document reference: MSS.181X/4/8/13.
