Harold A. Knapp photograph collection
Collection
Identifier: P0824
Scope and Contents
The Harold A. Knapp photograph collection contains three parts. Box 1 contains images, graphs, and maps documenting the effects of nuclear fallout on sheep and cattle, primarily in Nevada. Box 2, which is housed in the same container as Box 1, contains black-and-white transparencies from a Oct 20, 1983 presentation on nuclear fallout that Knapp gave to the Dose Assessment Advisory Group of the Department of Energy. Box 3 contains glass slides of test data related to nuclear testing. The material spans Knapp's career, from the 1950s to the 1980s.
Dates
- 1950-1989
Creator
- Knapp, Harold A. (Person)
Language of Materials
Collection materials are in English.
Conditions Governing Access
Twenty-four hour advanced notice encouraged. Materials must be used on-site. Access to parts of this collection may be restricted under provisions of state or federal law.
Conditions Governing Use
It is the responsibility of the researcher to obtain any necessary copyright clearances.
Permission to publish material from the Harold A. Knapp photograph collection must be obtained from the Special Collections Manuscript Curator.
Permission to publish material from the Harold A. Knapp photograph collection must be obtained from the Special Collections Manuscript Curator.
Biographical Note
Harold Anthony Knapp was a scientist, mathematician, and activist who studied the effects of fallout from nuclear testing. Knapp was born in Berlin, New Hampshire and obtained his doctorate in mathematics, with a minor in physics, from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1947. After working as an operations analyst for the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, Knapp joined the United States Atomic Energy Commission in 1955, where he worked in the Fallout Studies Branch of the Division of Biology and Medicine. Dr. Knapp continued his career at the Institute for Defense Analyses from 1961 until 1981, and then worked at the Defense Communications Agency from 1981 until retiring in 1988. In 1988, he was awarded the Secretary of Defense Medal for Meritorious Civilian Service for his work on nuclear issues.
Dr. Knapp’s work on fallout led him to study the effect of radiation on sheep and cows in Utah and Nevada after an above-ground nuclear test in 1953. In 1963, he authored "Iodine-131 in Fresh Milk and Human Thyroids Following a Single Deposition of Nuclear Test Fallout,” a report on his work which found that human health was affected by the consumption of milk from livestock which had been exposed to fallout. The Atomic Energy Commission suppressed Knapp’s report, leading to his 1961 resignation. In 1979, amidst growing public concern about airborn nuclear fallout, Knapp produced a 620-page report on the subject using declassified research. Knapp continued to study fallout throughout his career and testified in trials as an expert witness for sheep ranchers and other citizens whose health was affected by nuclear testing. His work communicating the health impact of fallout received praise from Utah governor Scott Matheson and Stewart L. Udall, former Secretary of the Interior.
In addition to his professional work on fallout, in 1961 Knapp and his wife, Barbara Baldwin Knapp, became involved in advocating for James and John Giles and Joseph Johnson, three black Maryland men who were sentenced to death on false rape accusations. The Knapps conducted private investigations, published reports, and ran publicity for the three men. In 1967, the Giles brothers were freed after the state of Maryland confessed its error; in 1968, Johnson was pardoned by Governor Spiro Agnew. After this victory, the Knapps continued to advocate against the death penalty in Maryland and nationally. Knapp died on November 11, 1989, at the age of 65.
Dr. Knapp’s work on fallout led him to study the effect of radiation on sheep and cows in Utah and Nevada after an above-ground nuclear test in 1953. In 1963, he authored "Iodine-131 in Fresh Milk and Human Thyroids Following a Single Deposition of Nuclear Test Fallout,” a report on his work which found that human health was affected by the consumption of milk from livestock which had been exposed to fallout. The Atomic Energy Commission suppressed Knapp’s report, leading to his 1961 resignation. In 1979, amidst growing public concern about airborn nuclear fallout, Knapp produced a 620-page report on the subject using declassified research. Knapp continued to study fallout throughout his career and testified in trials as an expert witness for sheep ranchers and other citizens whose health was affected by nuclear testing. His work communicating the health impact of fallout received praise from Utah governor Scott Matheson and Stewart L. Udall, former Secretary of the Interior.
In addition to his professional work on fallout, in 1961 Knapp and his wife, Barbara Baldwin Knapp, became involved in advocating for James and John Giles and Joseph Johnson, three black Maryland men who were sentenced to death on false rape accusations. The Knapps conducted private investigations, published reports, and ran publicity for the three men. In 1967, the Giles brothers were freed after the state of Maryland confessed its error; in 1968, Johnson was pardoned by Governor Spiro Agnew. After this victory, the Knapps continued to advocate against the death penalty in Maryland and nationally. Knapp died on November 11, 1989, at the age of 65.
Extent
485 Items (2 boxes)
Abstract
Harold A. Knapp was a scientist, mathematician, and activist who studied the effects of fallout from nuclear testing. The Harold A. Knapp photograph collection contains photographs and slides of images and data related to the effects of nuclear testing on livestock in the American West.
Arrangement
Arranged by subject
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Donated by Barbara Knapp in 1999.
Processing Information
Processed by Special Collections staff.
Creator
- Knapp, Harold A. (Person)
- Title
- Guide to the Harold A. Knapp photograph collection, 1950-1989
- Author
- Finding aid created by Claire A. Kempa
- Date
- 2022
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
- Language of description note
- Finding aid encoded in English in Latin script.
Repository Details
Part of the J. Willard Marriott Library Special Collections Repository
Contact:
295 South 1500 East
Salt Lake City Utah 84112 United States
801-581-8863
special@library.utah.edu
295 South 1500 East
Salt Lake City Utah 84112 United States
801-581-8863
special@library.utah.edu