1979 War Resisters League Map of the United States or Nuclear America

This is a June 1979 War Resisters League map of the United States highlighting nuclear facilities nationwide. Published only 3 months after the partial meltdown at the Three Mile Island Nuclear Generating Station in Pennsylvania, the map highlights weapons sites and power plants, along with mines, research facilities, and other affiliated sites. It also illustrates just how much of the country faces annihilation in the event of nuclear war.

A Closer Look

The map depicts the continental United States with Alaska, Hawaii, and Puerto Rico along the bottom border. The red shaded areas represent potential targets during a nuclear war 'as determined by High Risk Areas for Civil Preparedness Nuclear Defense Planning Purposes (Defense Civil Preparedness Agency, Washington, DC, November 1977.' The red symbols mark nuclear weapons facilities, while the black ones note nuclear power reactors and associated facilities. The green sites are miscellaneous facilities related to the nuclear industry, including uranium mines and research and development facilities.

The Verso

A location index occupies almost the entire verso. The index is divided by state, and the sites are color-coordinated, just like the map on the recto. Each site is identified by location, the name/owner or contractor (including Army, Navy, and Air Force bases), and a description. A key to the abbreviations used appears in the lower right corner.

The War Resisters League and Nuclear Disarmament

The War Resisters League began campaigning against the proliferation of nuclear weapons almost immediately after their existence became known following the August 1945 attacks on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The group's disarmament efforts continued to increase as nuclear proliferation accelerated in the 1950s and 1960s. They organized marches and protests in the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s and called on the governments of both the Soviet Union and the United States to at least freeze their nuclear arsenals instead of continuing to add to them. The War Resisters League continues the fight against nuclear weapons and nuclear power plants to this day.

Publication History and Census

This map was created and published by the War Resisters League in 1979. The present example represents the second edition, which was published in June 1979. This map is well represented in institutional collections. The first edition was published in 1978. While similar, the present edition was much updated and features a more extensive list of nuclear sites throughout the United States, a wider variety of symbols, and a reevaluation of how a nuclear attack could affect the country.