Archives and Special Collections
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Archives and Special Collections Dickinson College Carlisle, PA COLLECTION REGISTER Name: Murdoch, John H. TMI-Murdoch Material: Papers, photographs, and audio cassettes (1978-1986) Volume: 7.5 linear feet (6 Document Boxes, 7 Cassette Boxes, 1 Photo Folder) Donation: Gift of John H. Murdoch Usage: These materials have been donated without restrictions on usage. BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH John H. Murdoch was a long-time resident of Lower Allen Township, Cumberland County. He retired after twenty years of service with the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, and became involved in emergency communications and the activities of Three Mile Island Alert, the anti-nuclear action group, immediately following the accident at Three Mile Island on March 28, 1979. He served for many years as a member of Three Mile Island Alert’s steering committee, and was at one time the secretary of the Pennsylvania Emergency and Communications Council. Throughout the decade after the accident, Murdoch devoted much of his time and energy to the fight against the restart of Three Mile Island. COLLECTION DESCRIPTION The John H. Murdoch Collection consists of various papers, newspaper clippings, audiotapes, and photographs collected by Murdoch during his involvement with Three Mile Island Alert. The collection is divided into 15 series, the majority of which contain papers from the various organizations with which Murdoch had contact. Series 1 - Personal Papers contains John Murdoch’s personal papers that are unrelated to his work with any particular organization. Series 2 - Aamodt Papers contains papers from Norman and Marjorie Aamodt concerning their dealings with the restart of TMI. Series 3 - General Business contains all of the papers that are not exclusively related to any particular organization in the collection. Series 4 through 9 are the organizations from which Murdoch collected information, and are arranged in alphabetical order. Series 10 - Miscellaneous Organizations contains the papers of multiple organizations which have been organized together due to size, and can be found in alphabetical order. Series 11 - Scholarly Papers and Official Studies, Series 12 - Journal and Magazine Articles, and Series 13 - Newspaper Articles contain various printed items collected by John Murdoch. Series 14 - Audio Cassettes contains recorded television programs, interviews, hearings, and speeches. Finally, Series 15 - Photographs contains all of the photographs from the collection. More detailed series descriptions appear before each series inventory. COLLECTION INVENTORY SERIES 1 - PERSONAL PAPERS The Personal Papers series contains the papers of John H. Murdoch that cannot be placed with any particular organization in the collection. This series is further divided into 2 sub-series: Correspondence and Ephemera. The Correspondence sub-series is divided into letters sent and letters received, and are arranged in chronological order. The Ephemera sub-series contains handwritten notes, interviews, and testimonies of Mr. Murdoch. SERIES INVENTORY BOX 1 - TMI-Murdoch PERSONAL PAPERS CORRESPONDENCE Folder 01) Letters sent - 1979-1984 Folder 02) Letters received - 1979-1985 EPHEMERA Folder 03) Handwritten notes Folder 04) Radio interviews Testimonies SERIES 2 - AAMODT PAPERS Norman and Marjorie Aamodt were regular citizens of central Pennsylvania who volunteered to be intervenors in the NRC hearings concerning the restart of TMI and the issues of training and testing of operators and management. They entered the hearings out of concern for their family’s safety during the accident at Three Mile Island in 1979 and at their own expense, with no legal assistance. Norman Aamodt was an engineer with education in nuclear subjects, and Marjorie Aamodt was a psychologist. The Aamodt Papers series contains materials from the Aamodts pertaining to their struggle against the restart of TMI-1. The series is divided into 5 sub-series: Correspondence, Legal Papers, Printed Materials, Reports, and Miscellaneous Materials. The Correspondence sub-series contains letters received by and letters sent to the Aamodts concerning their legal struggles. The Legal Papers sub-series consists of briefs, service and witness lists, statements, and court dockets. A press release and a news article make up the Printed Materials sub-series. The Reports sub-series contains position papers and finding reports conducted by the Aamodts. Each sub-series is arranged in chronological order with undated items coming first. Finally, the Miscellaneous Materials sub-series consists of various tables and a conference schedule. SERIES INVENTORY BOX 1 - TMI-Murdoch (cont.) AAMODT PAPERS CORRESPONDENCE Folder 05) Letters sent - 1981-1985 Letters received - 1981-1985 LEGAL PAPERS Folder 06) Briefs Service lists - 1982 Witness list - Dec. 19, 1983 Statements - 1983-1985 Folder 07) Docket No. 50-289 - 1981-1982 Folder 08) Docket No. 50-289 - 1983-1984 PRINTED MATERIALS Folder 09) Press release - Sep. 6, 1982 The Patriot Evening News article - May 3, 1985 REPORTS Folder 10) Position papers Attachment 5, 6, and 7 “Intervenor Aamodt Findings of Fact on Emergency Planning Contention 2” - Aug. 13, 1981 “The TMI Accident and Use of Photographic Film for Dose Assessment” by Norman Aamodt - Jan. 15, 1985 MISCELLANEOUS MATERIALS Folder 11) Tables Conference schedule - Sep. 13, 1985 SERIES 3 - GENERAL BUSINESS The General Business series contains all of the papers that cannot be placed with a particular organization. The series is further divided into five sub-categories: Correspondence, Legal Papers, Printed Materials, Reports, and Miscellaneous Materials. The Correspondence sub-series consists of miscellaneous letters arranged chronologically where applicable. In the Legal Papers sub-series there are various statutes, house bills, petitions, and resolutions pertaining to the accident at Three Mile Island. The Printed Materials sub-series contains newsletters from political and nuclear action groups, press releases, pamphlets, and media transcripts. The Reports sub-series consists of reports and emergency plans for Three Mile Island. Finally, the Miscellaneous Materials sub-series contains rally sheets, emergency information, meeting agendas, biographies, and resumes. SERIES INVENTORY BOX 1 - TMI-Murdoch (cont.) GENERAL BUSINESS CORRESPONDENCE Folder 12) Miscellaneous letters - 1979-1983 LEGAL PAPERS Folder 13) Consolidated statutes Public Law 96-573 House Bill 1236 Petitions and resolutions PRINTED MATERIALS Folder 14) Political newsletters Nuclear action group newsletters Folder 15) Press releases from the Governor’s Office - 1984-1985 News releases from the Committee on Environment and Public Works - 1979 Press release from the Senate of Pennsylvania - 1982 Press release from National Coal Association - 1979 Press release from Friends and Family of TMI Miscellaneous press releases Folder 16) Testimonies and statements - 1979-1983 Folder 17) Pamphlets Folder 18) Media transcripts REPORTS Folder 19) Initial Draft of Emergency Planning Contentions Folder 20) Three Mile Island Emergency Plan Questions and Comments Concerning Upgrading Emergency Planning at TMI Nuclear Station Folder 21) United States Department of the Interior Geological Survey The BOCA Basic Energy Conservation Code/1978 Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Environmental Master Plan MISCELLANEOUS MATERIALS Folder 22) Rally sheets Folder 23) Fact sheets Folder 24) Biographies and resumes Folder 25) Solar energy information Folder 26) Meeting agendas Scientific tables Uranium pellet Folder 27) Transcripts and pamphlets of television specials BOX 1 - TMI-Murdoch (cont.) GENERAL BUSINESS (cont.) MISCELLANEOUS MATERIALS (cont.) Folder 28) Emergency map Emergency information SERIES 4 - GENERAL PUBLIC UTILITIES CORPORATION (GPU) General Public Utilities Corporation is a utility holding company formed under the Public Utility Holding Company Act of 1935. Three of its subsidiary electric holding companies owned the Three Mile Island facilities. The largest shareholder, Metropolitan Edison Company, was held directly responsible for the accident at the nuclear power plant. Somewhere between 1979 and 1982, GPU Nuclear Corporation was created and became the licensed plant operator of TMI. The Entire GPU conglomerate, however, was also held accountable for the accident on March 28, 1979. The GPU papers are divided into three sub-series: Correspondence, Printed Materials, and Reports. Each sub-series is organized chronologically. The Correspondence sub-series contains letters sent by GPU from 1979 to 1986. The Printed Materials sub-series consists of press releases from 1983 to 1984 and a variety of pamphlets produced by the GPU Corporation. Finally, the Reports sub-series holds two reports regarding the accident at TMI and a backgrounder dated July 1986. SERIES INVENTORY BOX 1 - TMI-Murdoch (cont.) GENERAL PUBLIC UTILITIES CORRESPONDENCE Folder 29) Letters sent - 1979-1986 PRINTED MATERIALS Folder 30) Press releases - 1983-1984 Pamphlets REPORTS Folder 31) “Radiation and Health Effects” “TMI Legacy Includes Benefits” Backgrounder - July 1986 SERIES 5 - NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION (NRC) The Nuclear Regulatory Commission is an official United States government agency charged with promoting and controlling the nuclear energy plants within the U.S. The NRC papers are divided into five sub-series: Correspondence, Legal Papers, Printed Materials, Reports, and Miscellaneous Materials. The Correspondence sub-series is further divided into letters received, letters sent, and memoranda.