Plan for a nuclear war -- or seek a nuclear weapons freeze. That was a frequent debate going on in our region during the month of April 1982.
There had been a recent revival of the nuclear arms race between the U.S. and what was then the Soviet Union. A speedy freeze in nuclear arms was rejected by President Reagan April 1 because of what he called Moscow's "definite margin of superiority" over Washington in the weapons. But Mr. Reagan, at a news conference, said he remained committed to seeking an agreement with the Kremlin for reducing nuclear weapons "dramatically."
Nevertheless, our area was preparing for the worst.
"If the situation, God forbid, breaks down and there is a nuclear war, we at least have a plan," said Donald DeVito, of the state Office of Disaster Preparedness. DeVito hinted that if there was a war, Otsego County and Oneonta would become a crowded place. "We have to put together plans that will help the maximum number of people survive. Some kind of a plan is better than nothing," he told The Daily Star.
"If a nuclear holocaust were to come, we'd probably become a host area," John Fink, Otsego County deputy disaster coordinator said Monday, April 5. "People from target areas or bigger cities would be moved here."
Meanwhile, a group of Oneonta residents presented then Congressman George Wortley with a petition signed by more than 2,200 people calling for a nuclear weapons freeze. A delegation of eight people, including Otsego County Board of Representatives Chairman David Brenner, presented the petition to Wortley at the First United Methodist Church of Oneonta on Wednesday, April 7. A group in Chenango County presented petitions to Wortley later that day.
"Our goal was 1,000 signatures," said Alice Siegfried, a member of the Oneonta delegation. "We did very well."
Wortley faced plenty of questions from those favoring a nuclear arms freeze at the church that day.
"I know you'd like me to go back and tell the president that I want a freeze on nuclear weapons right now," Wortley said. "But I can't do that because I believe in my heart that it would take away any useful bargaining tools we need to deal with the Soviets."
"We put you in office to voice the concerns of the people of this district," freeze advocate Molly Swain said. "We want you to know that there are a large number of people in this district that support a freeze."
Not a week later, a group of Delaware County residents had collected more than 500 signatures calling for a nuclear arms freeze, after starting an informal group in recent weeks.
"It's an idea whose time has come," group member Carla Castro of Treadwell said.
Eight members of the Oneonta Nuclear Freeze Campaign joined others from across the state at the beginning of Ground Zero Week on Sunday, April 18, for a two-hour vigil at Rome's Griffiss Air Force Base.
To end Ground Zero Week, members of the All-People's Congress in Oneonta were seen carrying a banner as they marched down West Street to Main Street in Oneonta on Saturday, April 24.
Former U.S. Congresswoman Bella Abzug was at the State University College at Oneonta on Monday, April 27, urging about 300 students to become "activists" in a battle against "alleged economic injustices and a costly nuclear buildup created by the Reagan administration." Abzug said that while the arms race continued, the American economy was plagued by nine percent unemployment and a $180 billion deficit.
Donald DeVito was back in Oneonta for meetings on April 28, and said he was feeling "the brunt of the attack" from groups protesting the nuclear arms race. He said those groups argue that to plan to survive a nuclear war is to invite one.
"That's illogical," DeVito said. "If the other guy knows we can survive an attack, maybe he'll be a little less likely to hit."
"We don't have to apologize for what we do," DeVito added. "We're in the business of saving lives, and that's nothing to apologize for."
This weekend: Notable local reforestation efforts were made in 1927.
City Historian Mark Simonson's column appears twice weekly. On Saturdays, his column focuses on the area during the Depression and before. His Monday columns address local history after the Depression. If you have feedback or ideas about the column, write to him at The Daily Star, or email him at simmark@stny.rr.com. His website is www.oneontahistorian.com. His columns can be found at www.thedailystar.com/marksimonson.
Columns
Nuclear weapon debates were plentiful in April 1982
- Big Chuck D'Imperio
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Safety Patrol D.C. visits never get old
I asked Cam Morris, head of Eastern Travel/Oneonta Bus Lines, how many years her company has been handling the Safety Patrol trip to Washington, D.C.
Continued ... - My pal Brucie, savior of Sidney's hospital
- Catching a whiff of 'Vermont Vapor'
- Selections from the virtual mailbag
- Recalling days of 'Doughnut King'
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Safety Patrol D.C. visits never get old
- Cary Brunswick
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We've become our own worst enemies
The past month has been marked by a seeming unprecedented number of man-made tragedies, as distinct from those caused by violent outbursts of the natural world, such as earthquakes, hurricanes and tsunamis.
Continued ... - Plenty of blame to go around for Bangladesh horror
- Obama is going against his word on Social Security
- Reflecting on a Florida trip
- Those magnificent spies in their flying machines
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We've become our own worst enemies
- Chuck Pinkey
- Guest Column
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Records seizure is an insult to free press
Distrust of government secrecy has been elevated to an exceptional level with the disclosure the Justice Department covertly examined two months of Associated Press phone records to determine who leaked details to the AP about a foiled terrorist plot.
Continued ... - The evangelical view of same-sex marriage
- Manor's fate will be Otsego board's legacy
- A closer look at our economy - Part II
- Use fracking to fill budget gaps
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Records seizure is an insult to free press
- Lisa Miller
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A view from above
Fire towers in the Catskill Mountains have always been destination points, built to capture some of the region’s best views. These sentinel stations served an important role for the earliest possible sightings of forest fires in the remote mountain ranges. But the fire towers and those who manned them fulfilled a multitude of other roles as well.
Continued ... - Being a parent is a constant learning process
- Healthy doesn't have to mean expensive
- A family era ends with close of Potter series
- Independent stores make up for loss of Borders
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- Mark Simonson
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General Clinton Canoe Regatta got a new home in 1972
Ever since 1963, when Charles Hinkley and a group of Tri-Town businessmen came up with the idea for what we know today as the General Clinton Canoe Regatta, people lined the shores of the Susquehanna to watch the canoeists as they made their 70-mile trek from Cooperstown to Bainbridge.
Continued ... - Sunday movies in Oneonta finally shown in 1934
- Politics, fitness and landmarks dominated local news in May 1968
- Local people sought income in many ways in 1933
- Local windstorm in 1983 caused tense moments
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- Rick Brockway
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Kids have sparkle in their eyes
When I was in my teens, old Bill Naatz told me about a stream north of Lake George where a man had panned out enough gold to make his wife a wedding band. It was all rumors, but to his grandson and myself, it sounded like the makings of a great adventure.
- People make the outdoors even better
- Turkey season has ups and downs
- Spring air isn't always the freshest
- Adriondacks keep growing and growing
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Kids have sparkle in their eyes
- Sam Pollak
- William Masters
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Schreibman tops Chris Gibson on women's issues
As the time to vote draws near, we need to remember how money can run politics more than we can. Raising funds is a prominent (if not the dominant) task of getting elected. Raising issues is also crucial, but those efforts are subject to distortion and fear-mongering.
- Republicans feelentitled to allthey can garner An entitlement is a legal benefit available from the government to individuals who are within a defined category of recipients, such as needing insurance for unemployment or health services.
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Romney focuses on self; Obama emphasizes unity
Mitt Romney criticizes President Obama for saying a person's success is rooted in his community, and is not all his alone. Romney belittles this with his belief in individual initiative. He is better at the put-down than the push-up.
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Romney shows little regard for common man
The Republicans in Congress have voted over and over, 33 times, redundantly and uselessly, to rescind what they call Obamacare.
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Scouts' gay ban creates problem where none exists
The Boy Scouts of America's "emphatic reaffirmation" of its vow to exclude any and all homosexuals from its hallowed ranks is ill-considered and pathetic, especially in view of its having reviewed the matter for two years.
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Schreibman tops Chris Gibson on women's issues
