The papers reflect Rees's committed and continued involvement as a civilian in the GI movement. Although not directly involved with the SOS movement, Rees inherited the fragmentary records from staff members who left Up Against the Bulkhead to join the SOS movement. The collection as a whole complements the extensive holdings of GI newspapers in the State Historical Society of Wisconsin library. The collection also provides good documentation of internal concerns and activities of the staff beyond that of producing the newspaper. Although the internal files are somewhat weak between 1970 and 1973, the correspondence files for this period are particularly strong.
The papers of Steve Rees primarily consist of records, correspondence, and research material collected and generated by the staff of Up Against the Bulkhead and the Stop Our Ship (SOS) movement. The records have been divided into three series, UP AGAINST THE BULKHEAD, SOS, and PHOTOGRAPHS.
Within the series UP AGAINST THE BULKHEAD, the records have been sub-divided into alphabetical files of Background, Administration, Articles and research, Correspondence, and Production. The tape recordings in this series include two concerning the Pendleton 14 case of November 13, 1977 with civil liberties specialist David Weitzman and den organizer of the Pendleton KKK Dennis Campbell; a tape produced by National Public Radio on the issue of Variable Re-enlistment Bonuses, 1976; and a tape regarding GI movement news from the Pacific Counseling Service in Iwakuni, Japan.
The Background material includes several papers which discuss the GI Movement in general and some strategies and tactics for organizing. The Travis analysis also gives an overview of the movement but concentrates on the specific organizing tactics of a U.S. Air Force base. Included in this file is a critical response to the Travis paper written by an Up Against the Bulkhead staffer.
Administrative records are sub-divided into finances and meeting notes. Included in the financial records are itemized lists of assets and liabilities and a running audit describing the paper's financial activities from 1970 to 1972. Several funding proposals are in these files, requesting support for Up Against the Bulkhead, Pacific Counseling Service, and Stop Our Ship. There is also correspondence requesting funding to reprint David Osborne's “Ask a Marine,” which Up Against the Bulkhead distributed. Meeting notes are fragmentary, with the most complete documentation between 197/i and 1976. Regional discussions consist of minutes of the San Francisco Regional GI Movement whose members included individuals from Up Against the Bulkhead, Travisty, SOS, Chenoweth Defense Committee, the GI Tape project, Pacific Counseling Service, and the Bay Area Military Law Office.
The Articles and research files consist primarily of research material gathered for articles written following the last issue of the paper. These articles were written by Steve Rees, Linda Alband, Denni Woodmansee, and other former members of the newspaper staff. Submitted as freelance articles, several were used by Common Sense, Radical America, Recon, GIPA News and Discussion Bulletin, and Pacific News Service. Included also in these files are notes, early drafts, and some correspondence. Numerous revisions of the Discussion draft will also be found in this section. This proposal was used as a vehicle to describe the political beliefs and objectives of the staff. Included in this proposal is a request for support from the GI Movement for the establishment of a mass-circulation, anti-military newspaper.
The Correspondence files consist of incoming and outgoing correspondence between the staff and enlisted members of the Armed Forces, GI Movement organizers, veterans, and civilians. This section is divided into three subsections: chronological and alphabetical files of general correspondence and the Correspondence Project.
The chronological correspondence consists primarily of requests for mailing lists and information regarding the distribution of Enlisted Times. The alphabetical file contains correspondence between members of the Bay Area Military Study Group (BAMSG) and various organizations, individuals, and publishers involved in the GI movement. Much of this material concerns articles written for publication as well as general information about the current state of the GI Movement. The correspondence between David Cortright and Rees is particularly revealing of Rees' political convictions.
The correspondence within the Correspondence Project files is primarily between the Up Against the Bulkhead staff and active duty servicemen, military and political prisoners, veterans, and some civilians. Much of the incoming correspondence concerns requests for information regarding servicemen's rights and news of the GI Movement. The outgoing correspondence of the staff contains news of the GI Movement as well as requests for information from those inside the military.
Production files consist of materials used in the production of the newspaper, as well as material used to facilitate distribution of the newspaper. A clipping file containing material on anti-war activities, dissent in the military, and on the GI Movement in general is found in this section and was used to supplement the articles of investigative reporting by the staff. Included in the distribution file is general information for distributors as well as formal requests for authorization to distribute the paper on a military base. There are photographs used to illustrate articles as well as several which show the newspaper staff distributing the paper to active duty GIs. Also included in the Production files are mailing lists of subscribers and several submissions of writing by GIs for possible inclusion in the paper.
The STOP OUR SHIP files have been subdivided into an alphabetical arrangement consisting of Articles and drafts, civilian support committee, correspondence, mailing lists, sample packet, ship files, and staff. Several of the files pertain to the production of the SOS Newsletter. The correspondence is primarily from active duty GIs stationed aboard USS aircraft carriers and contains subscription orders as well as statements of appreciation for the civilian support. Several of the correspondents discuss conditions, morale, and SOS activity aboard ship. The ship files contain technical information, leaflets, petitions, and some correspondence specific to each ship. The USS Coral Sea files are the largest in this section and include a daily journal kept by sailor Glen Horne, and petitions stating objections to the war and the deployment of the ship to Vietnam. There is also a file pertaining to the sanctuary offered by the Berkeley City Council to the AWOL soldiers of the USS Coral Sea.
The PHOTOGRAPHS are related to stories covered by the publications in the collection. Some show distribution of the publications to Naval personnel.
