Herbert F. York Papers

http://oac.cdlib.org/findaid/ark:/13030/tf7s2008qm No online items Herbert F. York Papers Mandeville Special Collections Library Mandeville Special Collections Library The UCSD Libraries 9500 Gilman Drive University of California, San Diego La Jolla, California 92093-0175 Phone: (858) 534-2533 Fax: (858) 534-5950 URL: http://orpheus.ucsd.edu/speccoll/ Copyright 2005 The Regents of the University of California. All rights reserved. Herbert F. York Papers MSS 0107 1 Descriptive Summary Creator: York, Herbert Frank Title: Herbert F. York Papers, Date (inclusive): 1958-1999 Extent: 48.30 linear feet(108 archives boxes and 16 oversize folders) Abstract: Papers of Herbert Frank York, founding director of the Lawrence Livermore Laboratory (1952-58); member of the Presidential Scientific Advisory Committee under Presidents Eisenhower and Johnson (1957-58; 1964-68); chief scientist of the Department of Defense's Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA); first chancellor of the University of California, San Diego; and director emeritus of UCSD's Institute on Global Conflict and Cooperation. The papers highlight York's work on nuclear arms negotiations and disarmament, particularly after 1969, and contain correspondence, reports, memos, drafts of articles and books, news clippings, autobiographical sketches, date books and wall calendars, invitations, teaching materials, lectures, speeches, interviews, and video tapes. Correspondents include many scientific leaders, particularly Hans Bethe, James Killian, George Kistiakowsky, Jerome Wiesner, and Victor Weisskopf. Correspondence contains discussion of participant's memories of events in the development of U.S. defense policy, later published in York's books RACE TO OBLIVION (1970), THE ADVISORS (1976), and MAKING WEAPONS, TALKING PEACE (1987). York's involvement in the U.S. Arms Control and Disarmament Agency and Presidential Scientific Advisory Committee is documented, as is York's role in the debate over the Antiballistic Missile (ABM). Teaching materials include syllabi and lecture notes for York's classes on science, technology and public affairs. Also included is an unpublished history of the Advanced Research Projects Agency, commissioned by that agency, and materials related to York's work as ambassador and chief negotiator to the Comprehensive Test Ban negotiations. Absent from the collection are papers related to York's directorship of the Livermore Laboratory (1952-1958) and his files as UCSD chancellor (1961-1964; 1970-1972). Repository: University of California, San Diego. Geisel Library. Mandeville Special Collections Library. La Jolla, California 92093-0175 Collection number: MSS 0107 Language of Material: Collection materials in English Access Merit reviews and letters of recommendation are restricted until 2050. Acquisition Information Not Available Preferred Citation Herbert F. York Papers, MSS 0107. Mandeville Special Collections Library, UCSD. Publication Rights Publication rights are held by the creator of the collection. Biography Herbert Frank York was born on November 24, 1921, in Rochester, New York. He earned B.A. and M.S. degrees at the University of Rochester in 1942 and 1945, and the Ph.D. from University of California, Berkeley, in 1949, all in experimental physics. His early career as a physicist and military science advisor (1943-58) focused on the development of nuclear weapons, while his later career as an advisor, consultant and professor have focussed on disarmament. In 1943, while still a graduate student, York was recruited by the University of California Radiation Laboratory to work on uranium production for the Manhattan Project. After the war, York finished his graduate work at UC-Berkeley in 1949, and in 1950, with Hugh Bradner, planned and designed Operation Greenhouse, the atomic test at Eniwetok for diagnostic measurements of atomic blast. The following year he joined the physics faculty of UC-Berkeley. In 1952, E. O. Lawrence asked York to prepare plans for a new weapons development laboratory, today known as Lawrence Livermore Laboratory. Following Atomic Energy Commission approval for the lab, York served as director of the lab from 1952-1958. It was during this period that he began informing U.S. defense policy-makers, serving on Army, Air Force and Defense Department advisory groups (1953-57: USAF Science Advisory Board; 1955-58: Secy Defense Ballistic Missile Advisory Committee; 1956-58: US Army Science Advisory Panel). York left Livermore for Washington, D.C., in 1958 to accept two positions within the Office of the Secretary of Defense: Director of Defense Research and Engineering and the Chief Scientist of the Advanced Research Project's Agency (ARPA, later known as DARPA). Before leaving Washington, York also served as the youngest member on Eisenhower's Presidential Science Advisory Committee (1957-1958). He served on PSAC again under Johnson in 1964-68. Herbert F. York Papers MSS 0107 2 In 1961, York returned to the west coast to become the first chancellor of the University of California, San Diego. After moving to UCSD, York maintained his involvement in high-level defense policy-making. President Kennedy appointed York to the General Advisory Committee of the United States Arms Control and Disarmament Agency (USACDA) in 1962, a position he held until 1969. He has been on the board of trustees of two not-for-profit think tanks since the 1960s, the Aerospace Corporation and the Institute for Defense Analyses (IDA). York acted also as an advisor to IDA's JASON division, a high-level science advisory group that York helped establish as Chief Scientist of ARPA in the late 1950s. York returned to Washington, D.C., (1977-81) to be a senior consultant to the Office of the Secretary of Defense in 1977-1981 and served on the Defense Science Board in 1978-1981. During the Carter Administration, York served as U.S. ambassador to the Comprehensive Test Ban talks (1978-80). At UCSD, York's tenure as UCSD chancellor was brief. He stepped down from the post in 1964, preferring to join the physics faculty. In 1969-1970, he was dean of graduate studies and in 1970-1972 was re-appointed as acting chancellor after William McGill's departure from that position until the appointment of William McElroy. York set up a program at UCSD called Science, Technology and Public Affairs to teach about and do research related to the arms race. After his four-year leave in Washington, D.C., York was appointed director of UCSD's Institute on Global Conflict on Cooperation, whose mission is "...to promote academic study of peace and security issues on all campuses of the university." York retired in 1988 and is currently director emeritus. He has written three books on his experiences as a defense advisor, RACE TO OBLIVION (1970), THE ADVISORS (1976), and MAKING WEAPONS, TALKING PEACE (1987). Scope and Content of Collection Accessions Processed in 1992 The bulk of the materials donated thus far comprise correspondence, reports, teaching materials, drafts of York's books, and audio-visual materials. The papers generally date between 1961, when York moved to San Diego to become the University's first Chancellor, and 1987. Files generated by York prior to 1961 may be found in Related Collections (see below). York presently maintains a campus office which houses current files and research materials. The York papers are divided into nine series: 1) BIOGRAPHICAL, 2) DIARIES, 3) INVITATIONS, 4) CORRESPONDENCE, 5) ORGANIZATIONS, 6) SUBJECT FILES, 7) UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN DIEGO, 8) WRITINGS, and 9) AUDIO-VISUAL MATERIALS. Many of the papers--correspondence, writings, and reports-- highlight York's efforts with nuclear arms negotiations and control, particularly after his 1969 anti-ABM testimonies before Congress. These papers also provide valuable historical recounts of events and organizations created after World War II, including a history of the Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA, see box 29), the Arms Control and Disarmament Agency (ACDA, see box 32), and the reminiscences of York and his correspondents, mainly scientists (see CORRESPONDENCE series). Well-represented is York's correspondence with leaders in science and public affairs (particularly Hans Bethe, James Killian, George Kistiakowsky, [Wolfgang] Pief Panofsky, I.I. Rabi, Victor Weisskopf, and Jerome Weisner), and to a lesser extent, members of the Senate and Congress who were involved in nuclear arms issues. Not present in the collection are materials related to York's graduate career or work on the Manhattan Project, to his role as Director at Lawrence Livermore (1952-1958) and his files as UCSD Chancellor (1961-1964, 1970-1972). SERIES 1: BIOGRAPHICAL MATERIALS (1958-1990) 1.5 box .6 l.f. The BIOGRAPHICAL series is arranged in chronological order. These materials, which include news clippings and biographical sketches, were originally interfiled with York's subject files. The subseries Publicity and newspaper articles was originally maintained in a scrapbook format. The entire contents of these three albums of news clippings have been photocopied. The subseries on York's Lawrence Livermore employment pertains to his later years as a consultant, and do not span his years as Director (1952-1958). SERIES 2: DIARIES (1959-1988) 3.5 boxes 1.4 l.f. The DIARIES series contains appointment books, date books and wall calendars in chronological order. For some years there is an overlap between the two subseries, Date books and Wall calendars. Otherwise, the materials are divided by format and size. "Post-its" were photocopied as found within the appointment books. The original post-it was discarded, and a photocopy of the original page with the post-it was inserted in the appropriate month. The earliest appointment books (1959-1961) document York's early years at the Pentagon. SERIES 3: INVITATIONS (1959-60; 1970-1973) 1.5 boxes .6 l.f. Herbert F. York Papers MSS 0107 3 The INVITATIONS series is arranged in chronological order. Materials dating from 1959-1960 cover York's early years in Washington, and reflect the social and professional circles with which he mingled. These materials are preserved in their original scrapbook format.

Load more