Collection Information
Historical Sketch
Scope and Content Note
Box and Folder Listing
Cataloging Information
Processed
by:
Charles Latham
9 November 1994
Updated 19 May 2004
Manuscript and Visual Collections Department
William Henry Smith Memorial Library
Indiana Historical Society
450 West Ohio Street
Indianapolis, IN 46202-3269
VOLUME OF COLLECTION: 3 manuscript boxes, 1 oversize folder
COLLECTION DATES: Inclusive 1951-1993: bulk 1989-1992
PROVENANCE: Michael S. Moore, TD-M, Jefferson Proving Ground IN 47250-5100, 15 September 1993
RESTRICTIONS : None
REPRODUCTION RIGHTS: Permission to reproduce or publish material in this collection must be obtained in writing from the Indiana Historical Society
ALTERNATE FORMATS: None
OTHER FINDING AIDS: None
RELATED HOLDINGS: SC 0870 Jefferson Proving Ground Historical Collection M 0332 Jefferson Proving Ground Survival Committee
ACCESSION NUMBER: 1993.0668
Jefferson Proving Ground was opened in preparation for World War II, to provide live fire testing of ammunition. About 55,000 acres of land, stretching over parts of Ripley, Jennings, and Jefferson Counties in southern Indiana, was purchased in 1939-1940, and the base opened in May 1941. Over the next five decades about 23 million rounds were fired there, of which about 1.4 million did not explode.
As early as 1976, defense budget cuts began to threaten the proving ground's existence. In 1989 it was targeted as one of fifteen bases to be closed during a general cutback on expenditures, Operations at the base were to be transferred to facilities not yet built at Yuma, Arizona. Under this ruling, closure was to commence in 1991 and be completed by 1995.
The conclusions of the Congressional Committee on Base Realignment and Closure were generally accepted. However, Senators Richard Lugar and Dan Coats and Congressman Lee Hamilton complained that the decision to close JPG had been based on faulty data, particularly about the cost of decontaminating land which was loaded with unexploded ammunition. It was urged that the base not be abandoned without a complete and expensive environmental cleanup, the costs of which would far outweigh any contemplated savings.
The proving ground itself fought closure, and its personnel gave repeated briefings on the efficiency of its operations and on the cost of transferring to Yuma. A Jefferson Proving Ground Survival Committee, an employee-driven lobbying group, was set up to give information to the press and public and to urge on its legislative advocates. Its principal spokesman was Michael S. Moore of Madison, who had worked at JPG since 1974, first as a mathematician and then as operations research analyst.
Despite these efforts, the base was scheduled for closing in 1995.
Source: Materials in collection
This collection, filling three manuscript boxes, contains correspondence, historical and briefing papers, photographs, and maps, from the period 1951-1993. It is arranged by category, and chronologically within category.
In Box 1, Folders 1-5 contain historical material; two papers about JPG, and material about cemeteries moved from the grounds in 1941, and about former residents of the area. Materials in Folders 6-15 concern regular operation of the base: information booklets, personnel and management information, and some minutes of staff meetings.
A major part of the collection is material for briefings given by proving ground personnel, about both the operation of the base and the desirability of keeping it open. Briefings from 1989 are in Folders 16-26 of Box 1; later and undated briefings are in Folders 1-13 of Box 2.
The base spent a good deal of time studying the cost and environmental impact of moving operations from Jefferson to Yuma. Papers and statements are in Box 2 Folders 14-19 and in Box 3 Folder 1.
Box 3 mainly contains material about the work of the JPG Survival Committee and its spokesman, Michael S. Moore. This material is in Folders 2-13. In Folder 14 (OM 0127) are two large maps of the proving ground. Folders 15-19 contain photographs of the base and its equipment; these photographs were used both in briefings and in information booklets.
A box and folder listing follows.
BOX 1: Historical; operations; 1989 briefings
FOLDER
Historical
1 Historical
2 M. M. Flint, paper on JPG 12-1-1991
3 Larry Jones, paper on JPG, ca 1993
4 Cemeteries removed from JPG; correspondence re pictures
5 Interviews by Mike Moore with former residents
Operations
6 Booklet, JPG 1991
7 Photocopies of illustrations from brochure
8 Information booklets, 1971, 1975
9 Management figures 1989
10 Personnel
11 Christmas party 1951
12 Management agreement 4-19-1990
13 Staff meetings
14 Telephone directory
15 Programs
Briefings
16 Commander's conference-- 3-28-1989
17 -- 3-29-1989
18 By Col. O'Brien 4-5-1989
19 Royal Netherlands visitors 4-14-1989
20 GAO Audit Team 17-21 April 1989
21 Tecom Program Review 6-15-1989
22 Taiwanese delegation 6-29-1989
23 By Col. O'Brien updated 7-12-1989
24 By Col. Weekly 8-2-1989
25 Eric Thiennes, aide to Senator Coats, 8-14-1989
26 By Deborah Burton 12-14-[1989]
BOX 2: Briefings 1990-1992, n.d.; position papers
FOLDER
1 Major General Akin 2-13-1990
2 120 MM Capacity 4-31-1990
3 By Col. Weekly 5-22-1990
4 Materiel testing ca 1990
5 FASCAM-- 8-14-1990
6 -- 1991
7 Environmental status 5-3-1991
8 Operation Desert Storm 1991
9 n.d.
10 Zero-based resourcing n.d.
11 Assembly operations n.d.
12 Mission briefing n.d.
13 Odd sheets from briefings
Statements and position papers
14 Cost of transferring from JPG to Yuma 6-9-1989
15 Memo on base realignment ca 1989
16 Projection: workload transfers to Yuma 8-8-1989
17 Environmental Impact Statement-- Vol. I
18 -- Vol. II
19 Cleanup and re-use options 6-2-1992
BOX 3: Survival Committee; Maps; Photographs
FOLDER
1 Fact sheets, background material
Michael Moore
2 Correspondence
3 Correspondence with Governor Bayh
4 Correspondence not Michael Moore
5 General comments for environmental impact statement 6-8-1989
6 Draft environmental impact statement 6-24-1991
7 Briefing to Military Toxics Project 9-16-1993
JPG Survival Committee
8 General information on Committee
9 "Base Closure Update 3"
10 Press releases
11 Clippings
12 Chapter "Minefield in the Heartland"-- Seth Shulman
13 RECON Publications 1991
14 OM 0127 Maps of JPG
15-19 VC Photographs
15 Black and white
16 Color-- equipment
17 -- grounds and buildings
18 -- individuals
19 -- weapons descriptions
For additional information on this collection, including a list of subject headings that may lead you to related materials:
1. Go to the Indiana Historical Society's online catalog: http://157.91.92.2/
2. Click on the "Basic Search" icon.
3. Select "Call Number" from the "Search In:" box.
4. Search for the collection by its basic call number (in this case, M 0440).
5. When you find the collection, go to the "Full Record" screen for a list of headings that can be searched for related materials.