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Cold War Era (1945-1992) Collections

This research guide covers collections documenting a variety of topics related to the Cold War era (1945-1992) in Alaska, including Alaska Native issues, Alaska politics and statehood, civil rights, U.S. relations with Russia, and women’s issues.

Follow the links to collection descriptions and inventories. You can keyword search all of our collection descriptions and inventories by using the search box available on each of the pages below.

Alaska Native issues

For other collections relating to Alaska Native issues, see the Research Guide to ANCSA, ANILCA, and D-2 collections.

Alaska Federation of Natives, International records; 1973-1978.
HMC-0471. The Alaska Federation of Natives, International was created in 1973 to advance the cause of Alaska Natives in the United States and abroad through charitable work and outreach programs.
Alaska Native Association of Oregon records; 1971-1977.
HMC-0021. The Alaska Native Association of Oregon is dedicated to promoting Alaska Native pride in their heritage, promoting their well-being, discouraging racial prejudice, and promoting good government. The collection contains the organization’s administrative records, publications, and records documenting its lawsuit against the Secretary of the Interior in 1973 that led to the establishment of the Thirteenth Regional Corporation.
Neil Risser Bassett papers; 1940-1991.
HMC-0377. Neil Risser Bassett worked for the Alaska office of the U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management, as the Chief of the Branch of Lands and Minerals from 1972-1985. In this position, he served as a coordinator for the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act. His papers document his role in the land claims.
Bristol Bay Native Association records; 1968-2005.
HMC-0075. The Bristol Bay Native Association was founded in 1969 to promote the economic and communal development of Alaska Natives in the Bristol Bay area. The collection mostly documents the association’s activities from 1968-1979.
Alice E. Brown papers; 1965-1973.
HMC-1060. Papers of a member of the Alaska Federation of Natives’ Board of Directors and advocate for the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act.
Billy Blackjack Johnson papers; 1923-1997.
HMC-0384. Papers of a proponent of the 13th Regional Corporation for non-resident Alaska Natives. Johnson was an Alaska Native lobbyist and advocate who was active in the Alaska Federation of Natives, the Alaska Federation of Natives, International, the Outside Region for Alaska Natives, and United Concern Alaska Natives.
Roger Lang papers; 1966-1978.
HMC-0158. Papers of an Alaska Native leader from Southeast Alaska documenting his activities in the Alaska Federation of Natives, the Alaska Native Foundation, Sealaska Corporation, the Central Council of Tlingit and Haida Indians, and other organizations.
Donald Mitchell oral histories; 1971-1999.
HMC-1099. Oral history interviews and recorded programs made during research for the author’s books, Sold American: The Story of Alaska Natives and their Land and Take My Land Take My Life: The Story of Congress’s Historic Settlement of Alaska Native Land Claims.
Howard Rock interview; 1976.
HMC-0210. Interview with the founder, editor, and publisher of the Alaska Native newspaper, "Tundra Times."
Thirteenth Regional Corporation records; 1971-1997.
HMC-0390. The Thirteenth Regional Corporation was the last of the regional corporations formed by Alaska Natives as a result of the 1971 Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act. It represented non-resident Alaska Natives.

Alaska politics and statehood

For collections relating to politics in Alaska, see the Research Guide to Alaska state legislators and legislation collections.

For collections relating to the Alaska Constitutional Convention and statehood matters, including the personal papers of some of the delegates to the Constitutional Convention, see the Research Guide to Alaska Constitutional and Statehood collections.

Civil rights

Alaska Black Caucus, Inc. records; 1975-1993.
HMC-0003. Records of an organization founded in 1975 to advance the educational, cultural, political, and economic well-being of African-Americans in Alaska.
Willard L. Bowman papers; 1952-1979.
HMC-0073. Willard L. Bowman (1919-1975) was one of the first African-Americans elected to the Alaska Legislature. He was also the first director of the Alaska State Commission on Human Rights. His papers document his political campaigns and records of the Human Rights commission.
Guide to the Identity, Inc. records; 1977-2013.
HMC-1143. Records of a non-profit organization that provides programs supporting equality for the gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender community and its allies.
Out North Contemporary Art House records; 1985-2011.
HMC-1089. Records of Anchorage theater and art house that showcases performance art related to underrepresented groups and social justice, including the gay and lesbian community.

U.S. relations with Russia

Alascom, Inc. White Alice Communications System Boswell Bay Station records; 1955-1985.
HMC-0001. The White Alice Communications System (WACS) was developed by the U.S. Department of Defense and U.S. Air Force in the 1950s as part of a North American over-the-pole defense system. The Boswell Bay WACS site was activated in late 1956. This collection contains papers documenting the construction and operation of Boswell Bay Station.
C. Earl Albrecht papers; 1905-1996.
HMC-0375. C. Earl Albrecht was an Alaskan doctor, health commissioner, and circumpolar health advocate. The collection includes papers regarding his trips to the Soviet Union with the Circumpolar Health Exchange from 1979-1987.
Winton C. Arnold papers; 1949-1983.
HMC-0376. Winton C. Arnold was managing director of Alaska Salmon Industry, Inc. and a delegate of the American Fisheries Exchange Group of the U.S. Department of State. He traveled to Russia in 1959 with the group to examine fisheries there.
Gordon H. Hills papers; 1949-1998.
HMC-0475. Gordon H. Hills was a librarian who worked in and studied libraries in the Arctic, including Russia. His papers include extensive research files, collected between 1958-1996, on library services and native people in Russia and the former Soviet Union.
Hilary Hilscher Alaska Telecommunications History Project records; 1939-2005.
HMC-0859. Hilary Hilscher was a journalist who led a history project on telecommunications in Alaska. This collection contains her research materials on the DEW (Defense Early Warning) Line and White Alice Communications System.
Christine M. McClain papers; 1907-1992.
HMC-0370. Christine McClain was a freelance journalist from Anchorage. Her papers include two publications by the Western Electric Company that document the history of the DEW (Defense Early Warning) Line and the White Alice Communications System.
Michael B. Ardaw Charitable Trust records; 1943-1992.
HMC-0469. Michael B. Ardaw was born in 1892 in Siberia, Russia. After serving with the Russian army and the Self Defense Civilian Organization, he fled Russia during the Bolshevik Revolution and emigrated to the U.S. Ardaw eventually moved to Anchorage, where he helped build Fort Richardson and homesteaded in the area. This collection contains biographical materials about Ardaw, including two cassette tapes containing his oral history.
Carleton E. Miller letters; 1955-1956.
HMC-0733. Letters from a Western Electric radio technician working on White Alice Communications System sites to his wife.
Old Believers naturalization ceremonies recordings; 1975, 1979.
HMC-0192. The Old Believers fled Russia to escape persecution for resisting the attempt to merge the Russian and Greek Orthodox Churches. A group of Old Believers moved to Alaska in 1968 and established themselves on the Kenai Peninsula near Homer, and later on Kachemak Bay. The collection consists of a recording of the 1975 naturalization ceremony and a recording of the 1979 naturalization ceremony.
Leland A. Olson papers; 1955-1961.
HMC-1064. Leland Olson worked as a surveyor for the White Alice Communication System project. This collection consists of color slides of White Alice sites and publications related to the White Alice project.
Harold and Roxolana Pomeroy papers; 1916-2000.
HMC-0564. Harold and Roxolana Pomeroy were homesteaders on Kachemak Bay. In 1967, the Pomeroys helped the Tolstoy Foundation purchase land that became the Russian Old Believers community of Nikolaevsk.
William W. Richards papers; circa 1966-1995.
HMC-0693. Papers of a U.S. Public Health Service psychiatrist, including some related to his research project “Comparative Study of Social Transition in the North: Alaska and Russian Far East.” The collection also contains video from a trip to Russia.
Jerome F. Sheldon papers; 1885-1994.
HMC-0220. Jerome F. Sheldon was an Alaskan journalist. His papers include his research on and coverage of the Nome to Provideniya (Siberia) friendship flights of 1988.
Social Transitions in the North project records; circa 1989-1995.
HMC-0692. The records of a grant-funded sociological data collection project documenting demographic, epidemiologic, and domestic transition in a sample of Alaskan and Russian Far Eastern communities.
United States Air Force White Alice Communications System, Cathedral and Rabbit Creek site plans; 1956-1961.
HMC-0251. The White Alice Communications System (WACS) was developed by the U.S. Department of Defense and U.S. Air Force in the 1950s as part of a North American over-the-pole defense system. This collection contains a White Alice Network Plan of Operations and as-built drawings for the Cathedral and Rabbit Creek sites.
Lyman L. and Betsy M. “Betzi” Woodman papers; 1929-1999.
HMC-0353. Lyman Woodman was a freelance writer who wrote primarily on the history of the military in Alaska. His papers include research material on the White Alice Communications System in Alaska.

Women's issues

Barbara D. Dimock family papers; circa 1865-2004.
HMC-0895. Papers of a politician, women's rights advocate and operator of the Bethel Roadhouse.
Dove Kull papers; 1915-1991.
HMC-0385. Dove Kull (1897-1991) was active in social work, child welfare, and women’s issues in Alaska. She also served as the director of Alaska Homemaker Services, Inc. from 1968-mid 1970s, among other positions.
Helen D. Nienhueser papers;
Papers of a land use planner and political advocate. In 1970, Nienhueser led a petition campaign that resulted in legalizing abortion in Alaska. A series in her collection contains her papers from this work.
Lisa Rudd papers; 1933-1985.
HMC-0212. Lisa Rudd served on the Alaska State Commission for Human Rights, the Governor's Equal Employment Committee, and as legislator in the Alaska House of Representatives. Her papers document her activities in the women's rights movement and her involvement in establishing women's shelters established in a number of Alaskan communities, including Anchorage.

Subject Guide

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Subjects: Alaska / Arctic, History