Coalition for the Cruise Missile Referendum.

The Coalition for the Cruise Missile Referendum was a group formed in the late 1980s that wanted to stop the testing of cruise missiles over Maine. The Navy began to fly cruise missiles over Maine in 1989. Some people quickly became angry at what they saw as a waste of money and a contribution to the rise of nuclear weapons. Eric Johnson managed the Coalition for the Cruise Missile Referendum. The Coalition bonded with several other groups in Maine, including peace and womens groups, to put a non-binding referendum on the ballot in November. They collected well over the amount of signatures needed to accomplish this. More than one retired Navy officer supported the referendum. There was heated debate over the referendum, with the predictable sides of people who wanted to end the arms race and people who were strong on defense. The referendum passed by a narrow margin. Murrough O'Brien, contributor of the collection, was treasurer of the organization.