The Atomic West

Acknowledgments

Acknowledgments Because this anthology has taken some time to make its way into print, people have begun joking about its long half-life. While we detect no signs of decay in the potency of the chapters that follow, it is nonetheless a relief to thank at long last those who have assisted in the project. The following chapters had their start in 1992 as papers at "The Atomic West, 1942-1992: Federal Power and Regional Development," a symposium sponsored by the Center for the Study of the Pacific Northwest at the University of Washington. The meeting was considerably enhanced by support from the National Science Foundation; Ron Overmann of the NSF proved particularly helpful in overseeing our grant (SBE-9122643). The Museum of History and Industry in Seattle, through the efforts of Wilson O'Donnell and Sheryl Stiefel, graciously cosponsored the symposium. The Department of History contributed valuable resources at a time when the Center was just getting started; Marge Healy and Jennifer Alexander proved especially helpful in organizing and running the meeting. And we learned a great deal from the many people who attended. The conference and this book have both benefited from considerable support from the Emil and Kathleen Sick Lecture-Book Series in Western History and Biography. This generous endowment teams up the Department of History and the University of Washington Press to encourage good scholarship in regional history. The collaboration it entails has been a pleasant experience. Julidta Tarver, managing editor of the Press, has been both patient and persistent in her support of the project from its inception. She found anonymous referees for the manuscript who made valuable suggestions for revision. Leila Charbonneau brought greater cogency to the chapters through skillful and humane copy-editing. At the Center for the Study of the Pacific Northwest, Kim McKaig gOOd-naturedly kept the book project organized and on track, and took care of countless detaIls to ensure its completion. James B. Morrison ix Acknowledgments created the maps of the Atomic West, eastern Washington, and the Great Basin; Dan O'Neill contributed the map of Alaska. As this book has made its way into print, the authors' research has appeared in other forms. Dan O'Neill's chapter was originally published in somewhat different form as "H-Bombs and Eskimos: The Story of Project Chariot," Pacific Northwest Quarterly 85 (January 1994): 25-34. We appreciate the Quarterly's permission to redo the essay. Thomas Wellock's chapter comes from his book Critical Masses, and the University of Wisconsin Press has kindly agreed to let us share it. It troubles us deeply that one of the contributors to this collection is not alive to see it in print. Stanley Goldberg died in October 1996. His chapter, which his family graciously has permitted us to publish here, attests eloquently to his gifts as a historian. What is less apparent are the warmth and wit and level of engagement with the issues surrounding America's nuclear history that he possessed. Stan was like a magnet at our 1992 symposium: others gathered around to hear what he had to say and discuss our findings with him. He drew provocative conclusions for us, and challenged us to think anew about our responsibilities as scholars and citizens. Dedicating the book to Stan's memory is but one small way to acknowledge a lifetime of contributions. x The Atomic West ...