The records consist mainly of printed material and information concerning the scientific, political, and social interests of SftP. They are arranged in two series, Madison Collective Records and AMRC Papers. Although some of the source documents date from the mid-1950s, most of the papers are dated 1968-1974. Since provenance was maintained as far as possible, some correspondence and minutes are scattered throughout the files.
The records of the Madison Collective include organizational and printed material, and correspondence, which detail relatively little of the history of the collective, its beginning or end. Primarily photocopies of the originals, the correspondence discusses the lack of local cohesive organization, the addition of two full-time paid organizers to the collective, and national and regional SftP meetings. There is some national and international correspondence with related interest groups, such as Computer People for Peace (CPP), the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), and Science for Vietnam. There are also minutes of meetings, 1972 tax forms claiming tax exemption for the organization as a non-profit educational group, and membership lists.
Some printed material is found in every folder, and details the use and misuse of science by government and business. Subjects include the Vietnamese War and its destructive effects on ecology, the land, and the people; chemical and biological warfare; and numerous newspaper clippings concerning the war. A few papers discuss increased governmental control over people. Also present are copies of articles regarding exploitive capitalist governments, China, and a science teaching program for teachers. There are also SftP propaganda files as well as position papers for SftP, SESPA, Science for Vietnam, and various other groups with whom they had contact. Files are arranged alphabetically by subject.
Contained in the second series are the results of the collective's investigations into the AMRC, including various drafts of the book, The AMRC Papers, background information on the AMRC, its personnel, its publications, the symposia it sponsored on population dynamics and mathematical programming, and related army research activities. There are newspaper clippings concerning demonstrations against the AMRC and the publication of The AMRC Papers. Also included is correspondence from SftP with AMRC, as well as Xeroxed copies of letters from AMRC files discussing the 1963 appointment of Dr. Rosser as head of AMRC, the contract between the University of Wisconsin and the army for the establishment of the AMRC, progress reports to the army, and the 1970 bombing of Sterling Hall.
Many publications of SftP and other printed reference materials have been separated to the Historical Society Library.
