Cold War Economy
Arizona State Library, Archives & Records COVID-19 Response
- Our number one goal is to keep the public and our employees safe
- The situation related to COVID-19 is rapidly developing, as is the response from this office and the state. Please check back regularly for updates
- We are committed to providing continuity of services while reducing exposure risks
- In-person trainings for ALL divisions are on hold until further notice. Divisions will hold trainings by webinar as needed.
- Department staff will attend community meetings virtually or by phone, when available.
- Services impacted:
- In-person Patent and Trademark Resource Center consultations
- In-person retrieval and immediate checkout of materials to patrons of Arizona Talking Book Library
- Walk-in reference service for Archives & the Research Library. Research & reference services are now offered by appointment only. Please contact us here to request an appointment.
- Ask a Question - online reference service
- Digital Arizona Library, including statewide electronic resources
- Records retention schedules assistance
- Arizona Talking Book Library requests and link to downloads
- Tools and resources for library staff
- Online continuing education for library staff
- Consulting for library staff on grants, electronic resources, digital inclusion efforts, Public Library Survey and all library services
- Communications channel for County Librarians
- E-rate Services offered online and by phone
- Arizona Capitol Museum Giftshop orders can still be placed online
- Arizona Capitol Museum collections can be viewed online through the Arizona Memory Project and Google Cultural Institute
- Arizona Capitol Museum staff can respond to email and phone call inquiries.
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
Find a document in the Arizona State Library catalog that would be a good addition to this topic? Have a suggestion for another Arizona Research Topic? Contact us.
During 1950s, the United States was preparing to stockpile the raw materials it needed for Americans to survive a war. Arizona had many raw materials to offer, but agriculture was faced with a quandary: what if the thousands of Mexican Braceros that worked on Arizona farms needed to return to their home country? Another concern was what would happen to Arizona’s economy if tourists in California needed to evacuate that state. Many believed that if the tourists became stranded in Arizona, large-scale disruption would result.
Read About It
Use the document analysis sheet and the photograph analysis sheet to uncover clues about the people that created the documents.
- Report from George B. Owen on the evacuation problem for the state of Arizona, December 27, 1951
- Copy of a letter from George B. Owen, October 1, 1952
- Proposed plan for servicing possible Voluntary Repatriation of Mexican Nationals, by Arizona Civil Defense Agency, October 1952
- Letter from George W. Malone to Governor Pyle, September 18, 1953
- Letter from R. I. C. Manning to Governor Pyle, November 4, 1953
- Summary of Arizona Production of Strategic Minerals, 1953 ca.
- Critical Target Areas - Department of Defense Abridged Key Facilities List Arizona, August 1954
Understand It
- What resources did AZ have to stockpile? What industries would have been affected if a nuclear war broke out?
- What historical Arizona event may have been repeated if the Braceros had needed to return to Mexico?
- Who created the documents linked above? How were they preparing for a cold war? Whose perspective is not present in the documents above?
- Would Arizona's economy have survived if Arizona had beenswamped with tourists from California? What if all the Braceros had left? Why do you think it would or would not have?
