Rutgers-Douglass Students Against Nuclear Policy (SANE)

The records in this collection of five manuscript boxes date from 1959 to 1964. The majority of information is from 1961 to 1964. The records of the organization include minutes, lists of members, bookkeeping records, meeting notes, fund raising records, lists of speakers, correspondence, flyers, and information booklets. Information from the national group, other peace organizations, and subject files are also included.

This collection was donated by Steven Shapiro on March 12, 1966.

Almost all of the correspondence is Nancy Silver's, and dates from 1962 to 1964. Nancy Silver graduated Douglass College in 1964 with a B.A. in Political Science. There are come brief letters to Nancy Silver from prominent politicians, including Hubert Humphrey and Harrison Williams.

Though the correspondence is in good condition, the newspaper and magazine clippings are quite yellowed and fragile. Many of the clippings are not identifiable by publication or date. There are black and white photographs from the Easter 1962 Peace demonstration in Washington, D.C. that are in excellent condition.

This collections shows the creation and development of an early student activist group. It shows the difficulty the group had in generating interest among students, support from faculty, and in gaining funding. The records of this small but committed group show how difficult it was to generate interest in anti-war issues prior to the galvanizing effect of the Vietnam War.