PROPOSAL TYPE
Roundtable
SEEKING
- Seeking Additional Presenters
- Seeking General Feedback and Interest
- Seeking Specific Expertise
RELATED TOPICS
- Place
- Preservation
- Public Engagement
ABSTRACT
During the Cold War, 49 of the 50 states hosted nuclear weapons, often located very close to the citizens they were designed to protect. Post-Cold War, many of the military installations that hosted these weapons of mass destruction have been closed and repurposed, or remain in military hands but have been modified often beyond recognition. As classification considerations permit, discussion will touch on the varied types of nuclear weapon systems and domestic installations — intercontinental ballistic missiles, manned bombers, nuclear-armed interceptors, unmanned surface-to-air missiles, et al. — and how attendees can research this nuclear cornucopia in their own communities.
DESCRIPTION
I am looking for presenters willing and able to speak about the varied aspects of nuclear weapon deployments in the United States during the Cold War. With 49 of the 50 states (plus territories) hosting nuclear weapons at one time or another, this is an aspect of state and local history that is seldom covered by public historians. The aims of the proposed roundtable are to delineate the different types of nuclear weapons and weapon installations, the distribution of these installations across the U.S., how close these installations often were to the civilian populace, how these installations operated, why many of them were inactivated, and how to conduct research on them. A coda would be the accidents which resulted in nuclear bombs and warheads falling from the sky.
If you have a direct offer of assistance, sensitive criticism, or wish to pass along someone’s contact information confidentially, please get in contact directly:
Michael Binder, MILSITE RECON, [email protected]
All feedback and offers of assistance should be sent by November 15, 2025. If you have general ideas or feedback to share, please feel free to use the comments feature below.
This is a really interesting topic, and as far as I know, understudied by public historians. I would love to see the history of citizen organizing against these installations represented in the roundtable as well. For example, US cities began organizing as “nuclear free zones” in the 1970s. I believe those were directed at nuclear weapons and nuclear power. And the Nevada test site has been a focus for decades of organizing.
Thank you for your comment, Donna. My intent is to delineate, within security limits, where those cities that wanted to be nuclear-free zones were located, and what nuclear weapon systems were present there. The audience would be free to contribute their views on protesting the historical presence of nuclear weapons. As with all topic proposal submitters, I am at the mercy of other NCPH and AASLH members who are willing to participate. Alternatively, I can submit my topic as a single paper, and hope that the Program Committee can find me a home in someone else’s panel.
I suggest reaching out to The National Museum of Nuclear Science and History in Albuquerque, NM, (https://www.nuclearmuseum.org/), The Ronald Reagan Minuteman Missile Site in North Dakota (https://history.nd.gov/historicsites/minutemanmissile/index.html), and the National Atomic Testing Museum in Las Vegas (https://atomicmuseum.vegas/). They would have staff that could join your session. In addition to talking about the history of nuclear weapons, they would be able to talk about how you interpret that history for the general public.
I would actually love to know more about this and I’m wondering if you are unable to pull together a full panel, if this wouldn’t be something that would fit nicely with the public history showcase proposal?
Nicole, I currently have three speakers lined up for this panel, so, I can only hope that our proposal makes it through the Program Committee.
Bethany – One of our speakers will be talking about the Nevada National Security Site (formerly Nevada Test Site), so, he should cover what the National Atomic Testing Museum covers.
As for the National Museum of Nuclear Science and History, and the North Dakota MM site, my observation is that museums currently do not have extra funds to send any of their people to distant conferences. Still, your idea is a good one, and I will reach out to the latter two institutions to see what they might be able to offer.