Summary Information
Women for Meaningful Summits Records 1984-1997
- Women for Meaningful Summits
Mss 1026; PH 6517; Audio 1438A
2.8 cubic feet (7 archives boxes), 32 photographs (1 folder), 1 poster (1 oversize folder), 1 tape recording and 1 disc recording
Wisconsin Historical Society (Map)
Records of Women for Meaningful Summits, a social action organization based in Washington D.C. and initially established in 1985 as Women for a Meaningful Summit (WMS) to promote political responsibility and ensure a meaningful outcome of the 1985 Geneva summit meetings between U.S. President Ronald Reagan and the leader of the former Soviet Union, Mikhail Gorbachev. WMS became fully incorporated as a non-profit in 1987 and the name changed to Women for Meaningful Summits/USA. Along with establishing themselves as a presence at international summits, WMS became a clearinghouse for the activities of other social action groups, peace organizations, and feminist organizations. The collection contains meeting minutes, bylaws, articles of incorporation, correspondence, financial records, summit and event materials, international relations information, media coverage, and records of partner organizations. English
http://digital.library.wisc.edu/1711.dl/wiarchives.uw-whs-mss01026 ↑ Bookmark this ↑
Biography/History
The social action organization, Women for a Meaningful Summit (WMS), was established in July of 1985 in Washington D.C. as an ad hoc coalition of women. The group formed in anticipation of the November 1985 summit meeting between Reagan and Gorbachev. The summit, held in Geneva, Switzerland, was the first meeting in six years between the two world superpowers, the United States and the Soviet Union. The topics covered during the summit ranged from nuclear weapons, America's Strategic Defense Initiative popularly known as “Star Wars,” arms control, regional conflicts, and human rights. The goal of the members of WMS was to raise public, media and governmental expectations for the summit meeting.
The founding members of WMS agreed from the outset that their approach would be firm and unambiguous. They were determined to bring global awareness to the importance of halting nuclear testing. It was agreed that the WMS approach would be neither confrontational nor strident, and that members would disassociate themselves from illegal civil disobedience. All of the women participating in the summit delegation were carefully briefed both stateside and in the summit location. The intention of WMS was to be a strong, substantive and important political presence during the summit talks. It was agreed that the women invited to form the delegation would represent broad and diverse professional fields. The 1985 delegation included elected officials, university presidents, athletes, performing artists, public policy experts, educators, scientists, businesswomen, authors, philanthropists, and organization leaders. WMS saw the high quality and seriousness of the delegation’s membership as a means to enable the delegation to successfully raise positive attention to their message.
The initial delegation in Geneva consisted of thirty-five women. The main objective of the group was to make their presence, hopes, and goals known to the international leaders and media. The delegation delivered requests for meetings with the superpower leaders and their wives. General Secretary Gorbachev held a forty-five minute meeting with the WMS delegation and Reagan sent a state department official to meet with the women. A petition with thousands of signatures, urging an end to nuclear weapons testing, was delivered to both Gorbachev and the U.S. government representative.
WMS was eager to involve women from the communities surrounding Geneva and made an effort to connect with all the European women in attendance. Efforts at the initial summit became the cornerstone for a strong international constituency that was lead by former first lady of Greece, Margarita Papandreou. Papandreou, as the WMS International Liaison, hosted multiple international conferences and initiated an international campaign in which women from many countries sought signatures on a petition to stop all nuclear weapons explosions.
After two years of successful action, WMS had grown to become a worldwide network dedicated to ending nuclear weapons tests, preventing the escalation of the arms race into space and encouraging the reallocation of the world’s resources from military purposes to funding human needs. By 1987 WMS had matured and was ready to establish itself as a permanent, ongoing coalition of organizations and individuals linked to international concerns, programs, and women’s networks. The organization was rearranged to reflect its permanent status. The name was changed to Women for Meaningful Summits/USA, also known as WMS/USA, and a board of directors was established. The board of directors was made up of not fewer than twenty and not more than thirty-five women; organizations and individuals were represented. The board of directors was elected annually and elected officers who appointed committees and approved the executive director. WMS/USA policy stated that the cultural, ethnic and economic diversity represented in the American population would be reflected at all levels of governance. The organization’s founding statement and policies were laid out and the group was formally incorporated as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit educational organization. The principal goals of WMS/USA continued to focus on establishing a presence at international summits, but the desire to address long-term goals was added to the agenda. These goals included efforts to reduce military forces, explore alternative defense strategies and empower women through educational programs. During the late 1980s, WMS/USA also served as a clearinghouse to alert people of the important work of participating social action groups and various international programs.
Scope and Content Note
The records of Women for Meaningful Summits were created in the normal course of business. The majority of the records originate from the home office based in Washington D.C. Summit information and incoming correspondence was typically produced in the creator’s state or country of origin. Most of the records date from 1985, when the organization first formed, until 1997.
The records in this collection are arranged into five series: GENERAL ADMINISTRATIVE RECORDS, FINANCIAL RECORDS, EVENTS AND SUMMITS, PARTNERSHIP FILES, and VISUAL MATERIALS.
The GENERAL ADMINISTRATIVE RECORDS provide a concise overview of the day-to-day operations of the organization. Mailings, correspondence, copies of the newsletter, press releases and newspaper clippings provide a sense of how the organization was run. The collection contains little biographical information on WMS presidents or board members.
The FINANCIAL RECORDS contain the organization’s tax information, funding proposals, grants, information on large donations, fundraising lists and financial statements.
The EVENTS AND SUMMITS records contain advertisements, invitations, correspondence, event announcements, lists of attendees, event receipts, pre-summit briefings, press releases, delegation materials, and summit materials. Events are the activities hosted by WMS, typically in Washington D.C. Hosting events served as means to educate, or celebrate with member and endorser populations. Summits were the political meetings held by international government officials and attended by WMS delegations. These files are an invaluable part of the collection, providing an accurate timeline of the activities of WMS.
The PARTNERSHIP FILES consist of correspondence and published items from endorsing organizations. When WMS first started, the founding organizers sent out a letter and participation form to numerous groups requesting endorsement and support for their cause. The intent of the letter was for organizations to use the materials provided to coordinate membership and establish networks. WMS hoped that through local functions member organizations would be able to raise awareness about the upcoming summit. The goal of WMS was to form a coalition of endorsing organizations, who would then call for substantial action to reverse the arms race. The purpose of having a list of endorsing organization was twofold: first the list would be presented to Gorbachev and Reagan in the form of a petition. Secondly WMS wanted to establish itself as a well-supported organization. Response to the initial letter was positive and numerous diverse organizations became partners with WMS. WMS’s relationship with endorsing organizations is reflected in the partnership files.
The VISUAL MATERIALS series consists of photographs of WMS delegations at various summits and an oversize poster entitled “Rating the Summit;” The poster appears to be signed by members of the 1987 WMS delegation.
Administrative/Restriction Information
Presented by Sarah Harder, Eau Claire, Wisconsin, June 5, 2006. Accession Number: M2007-006
Processed by Amy Dwyer O’Shea (Practicum student), May 2007.
Contents List
Mss 1026
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Series: General Administrative Records
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Box
1
Folder
1
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Bylaws, 1987
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Box
1
Folder
2
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Board Meeting Minutes, 1985-1994
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Correspondence
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Box
1
Folder
3
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1985-1997
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Box
1
Folder
4
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Administrative, 1992-1996
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Box
1
Folder
5
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Documents of Incorporation, 1987-1989
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Endorsers
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Box
1
Folder
6
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List, 1985-1989
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Box
1
Folder
7
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International List, 1986
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Box
1
Folder
8-10
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Margarita Papandreou, 1985-1989
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Box
1
Folder
11
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Founding Statements, The Beginning, 1985
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Box
2
Folder
1
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International Delegation Contact Information
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Box
2
Folder
2-3
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Media, Press Releases, Correspondence, 1985-1992
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Box
2
Folder
4
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Networks, USA, 1985
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Box
2
Folder
5
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News clippings, 1985-1990
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Box
2
Folder
6
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Press Contact list, 1980-1989
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Box
2
Folder
7
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Projects, 1988-1997
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Box
2
Folder
8
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Radio spot, Joanne Woodward, 1985
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1438A/1
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Audio recording 1 open reel
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Mss 1026
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Series: Financial Records
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Box
3
Folder
1
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Financial Statements, 1985-1990
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Funding
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Box
3
Folder
2
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Center for Education on Nuclear War Grant, 1987
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Donations
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Box
3
Folder
3
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1987-1993
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Box
3
Folder
4
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Genevieve Vaughan, 1986-1988
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Box
3
Folder
5
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Susan Clark, 1987
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Box
3
Folder
6
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Financial Proposals, 1985-1987
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Box
3
Folder
7
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Fundraiser List, 1986
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Box
3
Folder
8
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Tax Exempt Number and Legal Papers, 1986
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Box
3
Folder
9-10
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Tax Forms, 1988-1993
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Box
3
Folder
11
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Tax Reports, 1991-1993
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Series: Events/Summits
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Events
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1985
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Box
4
Folder
1
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New York
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Box
4
Folder
2
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Vivian's Film, November 15th
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1986
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Box
4
Folder
3
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Five Continent Peace Initiative
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Box
4
Folder
4
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Hill Briefing Breakfast
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Box
4
Folder
5
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Women and Global Security Forum
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1988
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Box
4
Folder
6
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US-USSR Women's Exchange
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1989
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Box
4
Folder
7
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WMS Reception at Mott House
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Box
4
Folder
8
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WMS Reception
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1990
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Box
4
Folder
9
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WMS International Papua New Guinea
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1992-1993
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Box
4
Folder
10
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WMS Meaningful Women Awards
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1995
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Box
4
Folder
11
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Beijing
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1998
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Box
4
Folder
12
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Round Table
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Summits
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1985-1986
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Box
4
Folder
13-14
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Geneva
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Box
4
Folder
15
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Media coverage
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Box
4
Folder
16
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Organization Briefing
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Box
4
Folder
17
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Press Conference, October 16th
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1986
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Box
4
Folder
18
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Athens I
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Box
5
Folder
1
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Athens II
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Box
5
Folder
2
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Iceland
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Box
5
Folder
3
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Press Information
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1987
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Box
5
Folder
4
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International Women Correspondence Summit, D.C.
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Box
5
Folder
5-7
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US-USSR Summit, D.C.
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Box
5
Folder
8
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Moscow, USSR-USA, Briefing Materials
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1988
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Box
5
Folder
9
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Moscow, USSR-USA
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Box
6
Folder
1-2
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Brussels
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Box
6
Folder
3
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Costa Rica Conference
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1989
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Box
6
Folder
4
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Moscow II
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1990
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Soviet American Women's Summit
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Box
6
Folder
5-7
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Washington, D.C.
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Box
6
Folder
8
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Congressional Breakfast
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Box
6
Folder
9
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Site visits
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Series: Partnership Files
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Box
7
Folder
1
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Committee for National Security, 1988-1989
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Box
7
Folder
2
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D.C. Government/D.C. commission for Women, 1986
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Box
7
Folder
3
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Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., 1986
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Box
7
Folder
4
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Exploratory Project on the Conditions of Peace/EXPRO, 1986
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Box
7
Folder
5
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Grandmothers for Peace, 1984-1989
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1438A/2
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“Dear World… I Really Love You” : audio recording 1 LP
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Mss 1026
Box
7
Folder
6
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Greeley Foundation, 1986-1988
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Box
7
Folder
7
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Humanitas/International Human Rights Committee, 1986
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Box
7
Folder
8
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International Alliance of Atomic Veterans, 1986
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Box
7
Folder
9
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Mothers Embracing Nuclear Disarmament/MEND, 1986
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Box
7
Folder
10
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National Women's Political Caucus, 1988-1989
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Box
7
Folder
11
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NATO Alerts Network, 1988-1989
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Box
7
Folder
12
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New England Circle/Jerry Dunfrey, 1986-1988
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Box
7
Folder
13
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Nuclear Arms Amendment, 1989
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Box
7
Folder
14
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Oxford Research Group, 1986-1989
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Box
7
Folder
15
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PAX World Foundation, 1988-1989
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Box
7
Folder
16
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Peace Institute, 1986
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Box
7
Folder
17
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Peace Link, 1986
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Box
7
Folder
18
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Parliamentarians Global Action, 1986
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Box
7
Folder
19
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Ribbon Flyer, 1985
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Box
7
Folder
20
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SANE/FREEZE, 1988
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Box
7
Folder
21
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Structures for Peace Convocation, 1988-1989
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Box
7
Folder
22
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United Nations' Association of the USA, 1989
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Box
7
Folder
23
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Voter Project, undated
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Box
7
Folder
24
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Women's Action for Nuclear Disarmament/WAND, 1986
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Box
7
Folder
25
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Women for America, for the World, 1986
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Box
7
Folder
26
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Women's Initiatives, 1984
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Box
7
Folder
27
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Women's International League for Peace and Freedom, 1986
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Box
7
Folder
28
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Women's Peace Alliance, 1986
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Box
7
Folder
29
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World Congress/International Year of Peace, 1986
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Box
7
Folder
30
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World Women Parliamentarians for Peace/WWPP, 1985-1988
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Box
7
Folder
31
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Youth Project, 1986
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Box
7
Folder
32
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YWCA of the USA, 1986
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PH 6517
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Series: Visual Materials
|
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Folder
1
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Photographs, WMS Delegates at Summits, 1985-1990
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Oversize Folder
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Poster, WMS, Signed by Delegates, undated
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