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January 2011
Washington Guidebook
National Park Service Recommendations
Cold War Advisory Committee
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Greetings! 

Happy New Year! We hope you have a productive and fulfilling one. Before the holidays, AHF President Cindy Kelly traveled to Hanford, WA, to coordinate with community leaders on a number of joint projects. One is an update of our booklet and video vignettes on the B Reactor. Historic footage and interviews with Manhattan Project veterans help explain how the reactor worked and provide glimpses of life in the Manhattan Project at Hanford. The photo below was taken in the B Reactor with several members of the B Reactor Museum Association (BRMA).
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We are also pleased to begin work on a new book, A Guide to Manhattan Project Sites in Washington. We look forward to working with the BRMA and the Hanford community on what we hope will be a valuable resource for tourists, students, and history buffs. Below you can read more about this and other Atomic Heritage Foundation news.

CRYSTAL TRUST AWARDS GRANT FOR WASHINGTON GUIDEBOOK
 

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The Atomic Heritage Foundation (AHF) was pleased to receive a grant from the Crystal Trust to continue its series of guidebooks for the Manhattan Project with one for Washington State.

 

In mid-December, Cindy Kelly met with Maynard Plahuta, Tom Marceau and Burt Pierard to outline the new guide to the Manhattan Project sites including the pre-World War II history of the Hanford area.  AHF hopes to have the guide ready by the summer 2011 tourist season.  The Guide to the Manhattan Project Sites in New Mexico was released in June 2010.

112th CONGRESS AWAITS NATIONAL PARK SERVICE RECOMMENDATIONS
   

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The recommendations for a potential Manhattan Project National Historical Park are working their way through the approval process in the Department of Interior. Some predict that the recommendations will be presented to the 112th Congress in late January. 

 

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Key players in developing legislation for the new park will be Congressman Doc Hastings, Chair of the House Natural Resources Committee (National Parks, Forests and Public Lands), and Senator Jeff Bingaman, Chair of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee (National Parks). Both have been vigorous proponents of preserving the Manhattan Project history through a national historical park.

 

COLD WAR ADVISORY COMMITTEE

 

Department of Interior Secretary Ken Salazar has appointed AHF President Cindy Kelly as a member to the Cold War Advisory Committee. The nine-person Committee is part of a National Historic Landmark Theme Study to identify sites and resources significant to the Cold War.  

 

cold warThe Committee will meet over the next three years to determine the most significant Cold War properties that should be preserved to tell the story of the Cold War in the United States.  Other members include Francis "Gary" Powers, Jr., the son of the U-2 spy plane pilot and founder of the Cold War Museum, and Christian Ostermann, director of the Woodrow Wilson Center's Cold War International History Project. With many Manhattan Project production properties becoming the workhorses of the Cold War, Ms. Kelly will be in a good position to ensure that the Department of Energy's properties are recognized for their contributions to the Cold War.
This year promises to be an exciting one, and we look forward to keeping you posted on our progress. Many thanks to those who contributed over the holidays - your support is vital as we work to preserve Manhattan Project history for future generations.

 
Sincerely,
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  President

Atomic Heritage Foundation