Title: AMEX/Canada Records
Inclusive Dates: 1968-1977

Creator:

• AMEX/Canada

Call Number: Mss 736; Audio 1196A; PH 3760; M89-049

Quantity: 4.0 cubic feet (11 archives boxes), 11 tape recordings, and 38 photographs; plus additions of 2.3 cubic feet

Repository:

Wisconsin Historical Society, Division of Library, Archives, and Museum Collections

Archival Locations:

Wisconsin Historical Society (Map)

See the catalog entry for information of possible additional materials and shelf locations.

Abstract:

Records of AMEX/Canada, an organization of anti-Vietnam War resisters based in Toronto, Canada. The records document the publication of its magazine (Amex/Canada) and staff participation in the anti-war and amnesty movements. The collection consists primarily of correspondence between editors of the magazine and leaders of sympathetic groups, especially the National Committee for Universal and Unconditional Amnesty, a coalition of which AMEX/Canada was an active member. Also included are photographs used to illustrate a history of the organization and tape recordings of conferences, meetings, and of organizational publicity.

Language: English

URL to cite for this finding aid: http://digital.library.wisc.edu/1711.dl/wiarchives.uw-whs-mss00736

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AMEX/Canada began in 1968 as a mimeographed newsletter of the Union of American Exiles, a Toronto anti-Vietnam War resister group. By the summer of 1969 the newsletter had evolved into a magazine and had separated from the Union of American Exiles, taking the name AMEX: The American Expatriate in Canada. In 1971 the title was shortened to AMEX/Canada, for American Exiles in Canada. Gradually AMEX/Canada evolved into an organization which continued to publish a magazine of the same name.

From 1969 to 1971 Stan Pietlock and Dee Knight edited the magazine, which encouraged war resisters to become involved with progressive Canadian political organizations and to maintain an anti-war commitment while assimilating into Canadian society. In 1971 Jack Colhoun, then writing articles for other political magazines, convinced the editors to re-examine their amnesty stand and to publish an issue containing Colhoun's pro-amnesty articles. During the following year Pietlock became increasingly opposed to the treatment of the amnesty issue, and Colhoun became more actively involved with the magazine. In 1973 Pietlock resigned after attempting to stop production of the magazine. Thereafter, AMEX/Canada was free to work for unconditional and universal amnesty for Vietnam War resisters.

During 1972 and the first half of 1973 AMEX/Canada was published on a bi-monthly basis. Unable to build a base of support in Canada due to the fear of retribution from the Canadian government, AMEX/Canada began to use the media in order to become involved in the amnesty discussion then taking place in the United States.

In 1973 AMEX/Canada actively worked to form a coalition of amnesty organizations. The resulting National Committee for Universal and Unconditional Amnesty (NCUUA) began a grassroots education program. AMEX/Canada played an important role in this coalition because it presented unified programs to NCUUA, while other member organizations were divided and unable to agree.

When President Ford announced his clemency program in 1974, AMEX/Canada called for a boycott of the program, although it was supported by NCUUA. The International Conference of Exiles (September 21-22, 1974) hosted by AMEX/Canada and NCUUA focused media attention on the exile response to the program. To keep the issue alive, AMEX/Canada established the Toronto American Exiles Association, which consisted of many war resisters who had recently become interested in the amnesty issue. AMEX/Canada concentrated its work in Toronto, but also financed speaking tours by exiles in the United States, and it opposed the movement within the NCUUA to endorse compromise amnesty legislation.

During the boycott, which was very successful in terms of the number of supporters although unsuccessful in convincing President Ford to initiate new amnesty legislation, AMEX/Canada and NCUUA suffered from internal dissension. These struggles weakened both groups, although AMEX/Canada was able to retain control of NCUUA. As a result, NCUUA was more active in its support of the amnesty issue, and it organized a National Amnesty Week in February 1976. Publicity from this event brought amnesty back into national politics. With help from the media which by then considered it to be the voice of the exile community, AMEX/Canada unsuccessfully continued to oppose President Jimmy Carter's limited pardon during 1977. In December 1977, stating that the amnesty issue had been resolved for the vast majority of war resisters, AMEX/Canada published its last issue.

For researchers requiring more detailed background, the last issue of the magazine was a history of AMEX/Canada written by Jack Colhoun. This history may be found in the first box of the collection.

This collection was received in multiple parts from the donor(s) and is organized into 3 major parts. These materials have not been physically interfiled and researchers might need to consult more than one part to locate similar materials.

• Part 1 (Mss 736, Audio 1196A): Original Collection, 1968-1977
• Part 2 (PH 3760): Additions, undated
• Part 3 (M89-049): Additions, 1970-1976

The organization's magazine, AMEX/Canada, is available on microfilm in the State Historical Society of Wisconsin Library.

Acquisition Information

Original collection presented by Jack Colhoun, Washington, D.C., 1980. Accession Number: M80-18, M89-049

Processing Information

Processed by Ann Hokanson (archives intern), 1987-1988.

Mss 736	Part 1 (Mss 736, Audio 1196A): Original Collection, 1968-1977 Physical Description: 4.0 cubic feet (11 archives boxes), 11 tape recordings, and 38 photographs  Scope and Content Note The AMEX/Canada papers document the production of the magazine AMEX/Canada from 1970 to 1977 as well as the participation of the staff members in the exile, anti-war, and amnesty movements. A large portion of the papers concern the relation of AMEX to NCUUA, and as a result the papers complement the large collection of NCUUA records held by the State Historical Society of Wisconsin. The collection has been arranged in the following categories--magazine organization and production, staff activities, correspondence, sympathetic groups, and subject files. The files primarily consist of correspondence and circulars, with the main writers being Dee Knight, editor of AMEX/Canada from 1971 to 1977, and Jack Colhoun, contributing author and assistant editor during the same period. The collection also includes sound recordings of miscellaneous activities with which it was involved; unfortunately many of these events were not well identified. The magazine itself is available on microfilm in the Historical Society Library. The MAGAZINE AND PRODUCTION files contain material concerning editorial policies, finances, and distribution. The files consist of in-house memos, correspondence with businesses related to publishing, and magazine copy. The Stan Pietlock correspondence, which concerns his resignation as editor, and the William Mies correspondence, which concerns articles by him for AMEX/Canada, are also included. The STAFF ACTIVITIES section documents functions other than magazine production that the staff members engaged in to promote their views. Included are papers by Jack Colhoun published elsewhere, an outline for a book on amnesty prepared by Knight and Colhoun, documentation of Dee Knight's 1974 speaking tour in the United States, and information on various conferences and meetings attended by staff members. CORRESPONDENCE contains the magazine's general correspondence, as well as files concerning Jack Colhoun and Albert Reynolds, an individual actively fundraising for AMEX/Canada. The correspondence largely concerns requests for information and donations to the magazine from individuals and groups. There are also discussions of exile issues with leaders of various sympathetic groups. Prominent correspondents other than AMEX/Canada staff include Irma Zigas, head of the National Committee for Universal and Unconditional Amnesty, and Henry Schwarzchild, director of the American Civil Liberties Union Project on Amnesty. The files on SYMPATHETIC GROUPS contain material on organizations which had some contact with AMEX/Canada. The files variously include circulars, correspondence, and publicity. Also included is extensive material on the National Committee for Universal and Unconditional Amnesty including minutes, correspondence, and subject files. The SUBJECT FILES contain unpublished information collected by AMEX/Canada. There is extensive material on the amnesty issue, including files on individuals prosecuted by the United states government (such as Dick Bucklin, Gerry Condon, and Fritz Efaw) as well as on the general situation concerning political prisoners.
Box   1 Folder   1	Series: History, 1977
	Series: Magazine Organization and Production	⇧
Box   1 Folder   2	Declarations of partnership, 1972-1973
Box   1 Folder   3	News services
Box   1 Folder   4	Questionnaire to exiles, 1973
	Copy
Box   1 Folder   5	General, 1972-1973, undated
Box   1 Folder   6	Amnesty, 1974-1976, undated
Box   1 Folder   7	Stan Pietlock, 1973-1974 November
Box   1 Folder   8	William Mies, 1974-1975
PH 3760	Photographs
Mss 736	Publicity
Box   1 Folder   9	New York Times advertisement, 1974
Box   1 Folder   10	Circulars and form letters, 1972-1977, undated
1196A/1	WRIF news spot, undated, featuring AMEX representatives
1196A/2	Omnibus radio program featuring a discussion of amnesty with AMEX representatives, 1974
Mss 736	Finances
Box   1 Folder   11	Advertising sales, 1972-1974
Box   1 Folder   12	Fundraising, 1972-1976
Box   1 Folder   13	Bookstores, 1972, undated
Box   1 Folder   14	Photocopy, University Microfilms, 1973
	Series: Staff Activities	⇧
Box   2 Folder   1	General activities, 1972-1973, undated
Box   2 Folder   2	Local activities, 1972-1974, undated
Box   2 Folder   3	Toronto Amnesty Conference, 1972-1973
1196A/3	Keynote speeches, 1973
1196A/4-6	Workshops and sessions at the Toronto Conference?
Mss 736 Box   2 Folder   4	Amnesty book outline, 1972
	Colhoun, Jack
Box   2 Folder   5	Publications, 1976-1979
Box   2 Folder   6	Research papers, 1972
	Knight, Dee
Box   2 Folder   7	Speaking tour, 1974
1196A/7	Presentation by Knight and others, undated, to a New York area group recorded off the radio
Mss 736 Box   2 Folder   8	National Amnesty Week, 1976
Box   2 Folder   9	International Conference of Veterans and War Resisters, 1977
1196A/7	Unidentified strategy meeting of AMEX staff to nominate representatives to NCUUA
Mss 736	Series: Correspondence	⇧
Box   3 Folder   1-7	General, 1970-1977
Box   4 Folder   1-3	Colhoun, Jack, 1971-1979
Box   4 Folder   4	Exile groups, 1972-1976
Box   4 Folder   5	Hate mail
Box   4 Folder   6	Reynolds, Albert, 1972-1976
	Series: Sympathetic Groups	⇧
Box   5 Folder   1	American Friends Service Committee, 1974-1977
	Americans for Amnesty
Box   5 Folder   2	General, 1974-1975
Box   5 Folder   3	“Organizer's Kit,” undated
Box   5 Folder   4	Campaign for Amnesty, 1973, undated
Box   5 Folder   5-6	Central Committee for Conscientious Objectors, 1971-1974
	Churches
Box   5 Folder   7	“Active,” 1972-1973, undated
Box   5 Folder   8	“Passive,” 1972-1973
Box   5 Folder   9	Clergy and Laymen Concerned about Vietnam, undated
Box   5 Folder   10	Coalition of American War Resisters in Vietnam, 1973-1974
Box   5 Folder   11	Europe, 1972-1977
Box   5 Folder   12	Fund for New Priorities conference, 1976
Box   5 Folder   13	Grass roots efforts, 1972-1974, undated
Box   5 Folder   14	National Committee for Amnesty Now, 1972
	National Committee for Universal and Unconditional Amnesty
Box   6 Folder   1	Steering Committee minutes, May 1973-Nov. 1977
1196A/12	Two unidentified NCUUA meetings
Mss 736 Box   6 Folder   2-4	General correspondence, 1973-1977
Box   6 Folder   6	Amnesty correspondence, 1975
Box   6 Folder   5	Circulars, 1974-1977
Box   6 Folder   7	Funding proposal, 1974-1975
	Chronological files
	1975, David Richard Zimmerman
Box   7 Folder   1	Case documents, 1975
Box   7 Folder   2	Decision, 1975
Box   7 Folder   3	1976, Amnesty program
Box   7 Folder   4	1976, Friendshipment
Box   7 Folder   5	1976, Statement on amnesty
Box   7 Folder   6	1977, Milwaukee “New Directions” conference
Box   8 Folder   1	National Council of Churches, 1974
Box   8 Folder   2	Red, White, and Black; and Committee to Aid Refugees from Militarism, 1970-1971, undated
Box   8 Folder   3	Safe Return, 1972-1973, undated
Box   8 Folder   4	Southern Conference Educational Fund, 1972-1975, undated
Box   8 Folder   5	Larry Svirchev/Stephanie Durant, 1972-1975, undated
Box   8 Folder   6	Sweden--”Neat Stuff from the American Exile Project,“ undated
Box   8 Folder   7	Toronto American Exiles Association, 1974-1975, undated
Box   8 Folder   8	Unitarians, 1973
Box   8 Folder   9	Vancouver American Exiles Association, 1973-1974
Box   8 Folder   10-11	Vietnam Veterans Against the War, 1971-1975
Box   8 Folder   12	War Resisters League and Women's Strike for Peace, 1971-1973, undated
	Series: Subject Files	⇧
Box   9 Folder   1-7	Amnesty, 1971-1977
Box   9 Folder   8	American Civil Liberties Union Project on Amnesty, 1971-1975
Box   9 Folder   9-10	Amnesty conference in Paris, 1973
Box   9 Folder   11	Amnesty and reconstruction, 1975-1977
Box   10 Folder   1	Armstrong, Karl/political prisoners, 1972, undated
Box   10 Folder   2	Britain, 1969-1975, undated
Box   10 Folder   3	Bucklin, Dick, campaign, 1974
Box   10 Folder   4	Carter and the Vietnam pardon, 1976-1977
1196A/11	Taped telephone interview, 1976, by Steve Grossman with Stuart Eizenstat and Sam Brown on the Carter amnesty program
Mss 736 Box   10 Folder   5	Condon, Gerry, 1975
1196A/8	Unidentified radio program on various topics in which Condon is quoted, undated
Mss 736 Box   10 Folder   6	Deserters and military counseling, 1972, undated
Box   10 Folder   7	Early exile (miscellaneous), 1970, undated
Box   10 Folder   8	Exclusion from the United States, 1975, undated
Box   10 Folder   9-11	Ford's clemency program, 1974-1976
Box   11 Folder   1	Efaw, Fritz, 1976, undated
Box   11 Folder   2	GI Movement, 1971-1974, undated
Box   11 Folder   3-4	Hearings and briefings, 1974-1975
Box   11 Folder   5	Immigration to Canada, 1972-1974
Box   11 Folder   6	Impeachment game, 1974
Box   11 Folder   7	Indochina, undated
Box   11 Folder   8	International Exile Conference, 1974
Box   11 Folder   9	Montreal, 1974, undated
Box   11 Folder   10	National Conference on Amnesty, 1973
Box   11 Folder   11	Presidential candidates and congressional positions on amnesty, 1976
Box   11 Folder   12	Prisoner visitation, 1972-1975
Box   11 Folder   13	Quebec, 1971-1972, undated
Box   11 Folder   14	South Vietnamese political prisoners, 1973, undated
Box   11 Folder   15	Sweden, 1971-1974, undated
Audio 1196A	Tapes, Miscellaneous
1196A/9	Unidentified radio program consisting of many individual accounts of anti-war and exile experiences
Mss 736 Box   11 Folder   16	Telephone notes, 1975
Box   11 Folder   17	Vietnam offender study, 1975
Box   11 Folder   18	Voting rights, 1972, undated
PH 3760	Part 2 (PH 3760): Additions, undated Physical Description: 38 photographs  Scope and Content Note: Photographs related to articles published in the magazine, including portraits of prominent members, and images from meetings and demonstrations.	⇧
M89-049	Part 3 (M89-049): Additions, 1970-1976 Physical Description: 2.3 cubic feet (1 records center carton, 2 archives boxes, and 1 flat box)  Scope and Content Note: Additions, 1970s, including clippings, correspondence, near-print articles and papers, brochures, newsletters (particularly from the Committee to Aid Refugees from Militarism, or CARM), handbills, photographs, and original artwork. Files appear to be from the editorial office of the magazine.	⇧
Box   1 Folder   1	News and Letters
Box   1 Folder   2-6	AMEX graphics file, numbers 1-5, 1971-1976
Box   2 Folder   1-2	AMEX graphics file, numbers 6-7, 1971-1976
Box   2 Folder   3	Paris World Assembly, Versailles, 1972 February 11-13
Box   2 Folder   4-5	Indochina, press clippings, publications, 1971-1972
Box   2 Folder   6	Air War: The Third Indochina War, Project Air War and the Indochina Resource Center, 1972 March
Box   2 Folder   7	Cartoons, illustrations, 1975, undated
Box   3 Folder   1	Publishers, review and promotion, 1971-1973
Box   3 Folder   2	Paris Amnesty Conference, 1972-1973
Box   3 Folder   3	Committee to Aid Refugees from Militarism (CARM), photos, drafts, newsletters, 1970-1971
Box   3 Folder   4	“Carmuniques” and “Exnet Bulletin”, 1970-1971
Box   3 Folder   5	Future “Carmuniques”, 1970-1971
Box   3 Folder   6	Correspondence, 1971-1973
Box   3 Folder   7-8	Indochina, war, etcetera, 1971-1973
Box   3 Folder   9	Canada and Vietnam, 1971-1973
Box   3 Folder   10	International Exile Conference, September 1974
	Canada
Box   3 Folder   11	General, 1971-1974
Box   3 Folder   12	Exile, history, 1970-1973
Box   3 Folder   13	Canadian Left, U.S./Canada, Canadian Government, Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), 1971-1974
Box   3 Folder   14	Negotiations and aftermath, 1972-1973
Box   3 Folder   15	International, Japan, Australia, Sweden, 1971-1973
Box   3 Folder   16	Labor, 1972-1973
Box   3 Folder   17	Blacks, history, struggle, 1972-1975
Box   3 Folder   18	Things to be done, office, mailing lists
Box   4	Star Weekly Magazine
Box   4	The Telegram-Weekend Magazine, 1970
Box   4	Cartoons, illustrations, undated