James T. Ramey (#193)

An Inventory of His Personal Papers, 1956-1973
In the John F. Kennedy Library
National Archives and Records Administration

Administrative Information
Biographical Note
Collection Overview
List of Series
Collection Description

Administrative Information

Abstract
Writings, 1956-1973
Lawyer, government official. Executive Director, Joint Commission on Atomic Energy (1956-1962); Commissioner, Atomic Energy Commission (1962-1973). Articles and speeches.

Access
Open.

Usage Restrictions
According to the letter of transfer dated July 9, 1973, copyright of these materials has been assigned to the United States. Documents in this collection that were prepared by officials of the United States as part of their official duties are in the public domain. Users of these materials are advised to determine the copyright status of any document from which they wish to publish.

Copyright
The copyright law of the United States (Title 17, United States Code) governs the making of photocopies or other reproductions of copyrighted material. Under certain conditions specified in the law, libraries and archives are authorized to furnish a photocopy or other reproduction. One of these specified conditions is that the photocopy or reproduction is not to be "used for any purpose other than private study, scholarship, or research." If a user makes a request for, or later uses, a photocopy or reproduction for purposes in excess of "fair use," that user may be liable for copyright infringement. This institution reserves the right to refuse to accept a copying order if, in its judgment, fulfillment of the order would involve violation of copyright law. The copyright law extends its protection to unpublished works from the moment of creation in a tangible form. Direct your questions concerning copyright to the reference staff.

Provenance
Received from James Ramey of Bethesda, MD, in November 1973 (Acc. 1974-024).

Extent
About 2, 980 items (1 linear foot, 7 linear inches; 1.75 feet)

Date Opened
January 1974, May 2007

Revisions
Finding aid updated in March 2007, by Anne G. Geiersbach.

Finding Aid Prepared by
William W. Moss

The Personal Papers of James Ramey

Biographical Note
James T. Ramey was born in Eddyville, Kentucky, in December, 1914. He graduated from Amherst College in Massachusetts in 1937. Ramey graduated from the School of Law at Columbia in 1941, where he specialized in utilities and public law. In 1947, he became the Assistant General Counsel for the Atomic Energy Commission, and in 1952 he moved to Chicago as Assistant to the Manager, Chicago Operations Office, AEC. He was named Executive Director of the Joint Committee on Atomic Energy in April, 1956, and became Commissioner in 1962, remaining in that capacity until 1973.

Collection Overview
The James T. Ramey papers include speeches and articles created while he was the Executive Director of the Joint Committee on Atomic Energy.

List of Series
Series 1. Writings, 1956-1973

Collection Description

Series 1. Writings, 1956-1973.
About 2,980 items.
Arrangement: chronological.

This series consists of published articles and speeches of James T. Ramey as the Executive Director and as Commissioner of the Joint Committee on Atomic Energy. During the sixties a growing number of critics questioned the AEC’s ability to ensure the public’s health and safety from the hazards of nuclear power and protect the interests of the industry at the same time. A number of Ramey’s speeches reflect this growing tension during his time with the Commission, which was abolished by Congress in 1974, the year after he left.