A speech by U.S. Congressman Les AuCoin given before the Rotary Club of Beaverton on January 15, 1986. In his speech, Congressman AuCoin expressed his hopes for a nuclear arms control treaty admist the Cold War. He also discussed the Star Wars program (the Strategic Defense Initiative of 1984), Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev, the federal budget, and the Gramm-Rudman Acts. This is one of a collection of digitized objects from the Les AuCoin Papers (MS.147) at the Pacific University Archives. AuCoin served in the Oregon House of Representatives (1971-1975) and in the United States House of Representatives from Oregon's 1st District (1975-1993).
A speech by U.S. Congressman Les AuCoin on relations between the Soviet Union and the United States, given at Pacific University on February 19, 1986. In his speech, Congressman AuCoin advocated for normalized U.S.-Soviet relations and nuclear arms control admist the Cold War. He also described the Soviet way of life in depth, using statistics for comparison to the United States. This is one of a collection of digitized objects from the Les AuCoin Papers (MS.147) at the Pacific University Archives. AuCoin served in the Oregon House of Representatives (1971-1975) and in the United States House of Representatives from Oregon's 1st District (1975-1993).
A speech by U.S. Congressman Les AuCoin for the Congressional Record titled "U.S. Grain Embargo a Failure," delivered on April 21, 1980. In his speech, Congressman AuCoin called the U.S. embargo on grain exports to the Soviet Union a failure. The embargo was created in response to the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. While Congressman AuCoin agreed that the U.S. should respond to the Soviet aggression in Afghanistan, he stated how "the inconvenience our embargo has imposed on the Soviets is far less painful than the sacrifice we have inflicted on American grain producers and losses to our own economy." This is one of a collection of digitized objects from the Les AuCoin Papers (MS.147) at the Pacific University Archives. AuCoin served in the Oregon House of Representatives (1971-1975) and in the United States House of Representatives from Oregon's 1st District (1975-1993).
Opening remarks by U.S. Congressman Les AuCoin before the Fisheries and Wildlife Subcommittee of the House Merchant Marine and Fisheries Committee regarding House Concurrent Resolution 273. In his remarks given on March 3, 1980, Congressman AuCoin expressed his concern for H.Con.Res. 273, the proposed cancellation of the U.S.-Soviet fisheries agreement admist the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. He disagreed with the Soviet aggression towards Afghanistan, though Congressman AuCoin explained how the U.S.-Soviet fisheries agreement benefited U.S. fishermen, and that if H.Con.Res. 273 were to pass "and the fishing agreement with the Soviets is cancelled, U.S.-Soviet joint ventures are also cancelled." This is one of a collection of digitized objects from the Les AuCoin Papers (MS.147) at the Pacific University Archives. AuCoin served in the Oregon House of Representatives (1971-1975) and in the United States House of Representatives from Oregon's 1st District (1975-1993).
A speech by U.S. Congressman Les AuCoin titled "Trade Speech," given sometime in early 1980. In his speech, Congressman AuCoin discussed U.S. international trade policies, the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, SALT II, the Moscow Olympics, east-west trade relations, and trading with the People's Republic of China, among other trade issues. This is one of a collection of digitized objects from the Les AuCoin Papers (MS.147) at the Pacific University Archives. AuCoin served in the Oregon House of Representatives (1971-1975) and in the United States House of Representatives from Oregon's 1st District (1975-1993).
A speech by U.S. Congressman Les AuCoin titled "SALT II: Toward a Balance of Terror" given on December 15, 1979, seven months after President Carter sent the Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty (SALT II) to the Senate for ratification. In his speech, Congressman AuCoin adovcated for SALT II and expressed concern regarding the stalling of the treaty in Congress. SALT II was a treaty signed by President Jimmy Carter and the Soviet Union's leader Leonid Brezhnev. The agreement, which never went into effect, addressed issues of the SALT I treaty of 1972 and attempted to slow down the nuclear arms race. This is one of a collection of digitized objects from the Les AuCoin Papers (MS.147) at the Pacific University Archives. AuCoin served in the Oregon House of Representatives (1971-1975) and in the United States House of Representatives from Oregon's 1st District (1975-1993).
A special order congressional speech by U.S. Congressman Les AuCoin titled "SALT II: An Economic Battleground," given on November 14, 1979. In his speech, U.S. Congressman Les AuCoin expressed his support for SALT II. SALT II was a treaty signed by President Jimmy Carter and the Soviet Union's leader Leonid Brezhnev. The agreement, which never went into effect, addressed issues of the SALT I treaty of 1972 and attempted to slow down the nuclear arms race. This is one of a collection of digitized objects from the Les AuCoin Papers (MS.147) at the Pacific University Archives. AuCoin served in the Oregon House of Representatives (1971-1975) and in the United States House of Representatives from Oregon's 1st District (1975-1993).
A speech given on the U.S. House floor by Congressman Les AuCoin. In his speech, Congressman AuCoin advocated for the Strategic Arms Limitation Talks (SALT II). SALT II was a treaty signed by President Jimmy Carter and the Soviet Union's Leonid Brezhnev. The agreement, which never went into effect, addressed issues of the SALT I treaty of 1972 and attempted to slow down the nuclear arms race. This is one of a collection of digitized objects from the Les AuCoin Papers (MS.147) at the Pacific University Archives. AuCoin served in the Oregon House of Representatives (1971-1975) and in the United States House of Representatives from Oregon's 1st District (1975-1993).
In a speech on the U.S. House floor, Congressman Les AuCoin advocated for his proposed bill to amend the Export-Import Bank Act of 1945 and the Trade Act of 1974. The proposed amendment addressed trading policy with communist countries, among other trading concerns. The bill never came to a vote. This is one of a collection of digitized objects from the Les AuCoin Papers (MS.147) at the Pacific University Archives. AuCoin served in the Oregon House of Representatives (1971-1975) and in the United States House of Representatives from Oregon's 1st District (1975-1993).
In a speech on the U.S. House floor, Congressman Les AuCoin advocated for the release of Soviet dissident Anatoly Shcharansky (who later changed his named to Natan Sharansky) from a Soviet labor camp on the two year anniversary of his arrest. After the Soviet government denied Shcharansky's request to move to Israel, Shcharansky became a "refusenik" activist. He was eventually arrested by the KGB and accused of high treason, among other charges, and imprisoned at a Soviet forced labor camp. He was released by Soviet president Mikhail Gorbachev. This is one of a collection of digitized objects from the Les AuCoin Papers (MS.147) at the Pacific University Archives. AuCoin served in the Oregon House of Representatives (1971-1975) and in the United States House of Representatives from Oregon's 1st District (1975-1993).
Two form letters addressing the case of Naum Chernobelsky. The first letter is a "dear colleague" letter from November 1987, requesting that members of congress sign the second letter, which asks Mikhail Gorbachev, General Secretary of the Soviet Union, to begin the emigration process for Naum Chernobelsky. The Chernobelskys were a Ukrainian Jewish family of "refuseniks," an unofficial term for individuals, most commonly Soviet Jews, whose requests to emigrate from the Soviet Union were denied by officials. In the case of the Chernobelsky family, Naum's parents and sister were able to emigrate to Portland, Oregon in 1979, but he, his wife, and his children were not permitted to leave the Soviet Union. In February 1986, Naum's sister Raisa requested help from Representative AuCoin, who spent the next 2 years lobbying the Soviet Union for Naum Chernobelsky's release. Naum and his family were eventually allowed to emigrate from the Soviet Union to the United States in late 1988. This is one of a collection of digitized objects from the Les AuCoin Papers (MS.147) at the Pacific University Archives. See also PUA_MS147_111 through PUA_MS147_113 for other materials related to the Chernobelsky family.
General Secretary Mikhail Gorbachev greets the congressional delegation to the Soviet Union. This is one of a collection of digitized objects from the Les AuCoin Papers (MS.147) at the Pacific University Archives. It originally appeared in an AuCoin family scrapbook documenting U.S. House Speaker Jim Wright's visit to Spain, the Soviet Union, and the Federal Republic of Germany in April 1987. The congressional delegation included Representative Les AuCoin and his wife Sue. Other members of congress on the trip included Tony Coelho, Dick Cheney, Jim Howard, Les Aspin, John Paul Hammerschmidt, Jim Scheuer, Lawrence Coughlin, Ralph Regula, Carrol Hubbard, Tom Downey, Norm Dicks, Wes Watkins, Mickey Leland, Steny Hoyer, Esteban Torres, and Sherwood Boehlert. The AuCoin family loaned the scrapbook to Pacific University Archives in 2022 for digitization, and the scrapbook remains with the AuCoin family.
Representative Les AuCoin presents a peace quilt sewn in Beaverton, Oregon to Minister Eduard Shevardnadze of the Soviet Union. PUA_MS147_122 offers a description of the quilt: "This quilt was stitched by students of Vose Elementary School in Beaverton. As part of the Campfire Organization's 'A Gift of Peace' project nationally, Campfire members at Vose conceptualized the making of two quilts - one to be presented to President Reagan and the other to be presented to General Secretary Gorbachev". See PUA_MS147_122 for a full description. This is one of a collection of digitized objects from the Les AuCoin Papers (MS.147) at the Pacific University Archives. It originally appeared in an AuCoin family scrapbook documenting U.S. House Speaker Jim Wright's visit to Spain, the Soviet Union, and the Federal Republic of Germany in April 1987. The congressional delegation included Representative Les AuCoin and his wife Sue. Other members of congress on the trip included Tony Coelho, Dick Cheney, Jim Howard, Les Aspin, John Paul Hammerschmidt, Jim Scheuer, Lawrence Coughlin, Ralph Regula, Carrol Hubbard, Tom Downey, Norm Dicks, Wes Watkins, Mickey Leland, Steny Hoyer, Esteban Torres, and Sherwood Boehlert. The AuCoin family loaned the scrapbook to Pacific University Archives in 2022 for digitization, and the scrapbook remains with the AuCoin family.
Representative Les AuCoin presents a peace quilt sewn in Forest Grove, Oregon to a group of politicians in the Soviet Union. PUA_MS147_122 offers a description of the quilt: "This quilt was stitched by the women of the Forest Grove Stitchery Group. In the fall of 1983, this group began planning an Oregon peace quilt that would demonstrate to the women of the Soviet Union, especially, that the women of the U.S.A. stood for friendship and peace between our two countries." See PUA_MS147_122 for a full description. This is one of a collection of digitized objects from the Les AuCoin Papers (MS.147) at the Pacific University Archives. It originally appeared in an AuCoin family scrapbook documenting U.S. House Speaker Jim Wright's visit to Spain, the Soviet Union, and the Federal Republic of Germany in April 1987. The congressional delegation included Representative Les AuCoin and his wife Sue. Other members of congress on the trip included Tony Coelho, Dick Cheney, Jim Howard, Les Aspin, John Paul Hammerschmidt, Jim Scheuer, Lawrence Coughlin, Ralph Regula, Carrol Hubbard, Tom Downey, Norm Dicks, Wes Watkins, Mickey Leland, Steny Hoyer, Esteban Torres, and Sherwood Boehlert. The AuCoin family loaned the scrapbook to Pacific University Archives in 2022 for digitization, and the scrapbook remains with the AuCoin family.
This document describes two peace quilts created in Oregon as gifts for the Soviet Union. The Vose Quilt, created by students of Vose Elementary School in Beaverton, Oregon, was one of two matching quilts created for U.S. President Regan and General Secretary Mikhail Gorbachev. The Oregon Peace Quilt, created by the Forest Grove Stitchery Group, was created to "demonstrate to the women of the Soviet Union, especially, that the women of the U.S.A. stood for friendship and peace". See also PUA_MS147_116, PUA_MS147_125, PUA_MS147_126 for images of the quilts. This is one of a collection of digitized objects from the Les AuCoin Papers (MS.147) at the Pacific University Archives. It originally appeared in an AuCoin family scrapbook documenting U.S. House Speaker Jim Wright's visit to Spain, the Soviet Union, and the Federal Republic of Germany in April 1987. The congressional delegation included Representative Les AuCoin and his wife Sue. Other members of congress on the trip included Tony Coelho, Dick Cheney, Jim Howard, Les Aspin, John Paul Hammerschmidt, Jim Scheuer, Lawrence Coughlin, Ralph Regula, Carrol Hubbard, Tom Downey, Norm Dicks, Wes Watkins, Mickey Leland, Steny Hoyer, Esteban Torres, and Sherwood Boehlert. The AuCoin family loaned the scrapbook to Pacific University Archives in 2022 for digitization, and the scrapbook remains with the AuCoin family.
Representative Les AuCoin speaks with Mikhail Gorbachev, General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union. In typed notes about the image, AuCoin writes: "Sue and I were members of Speaker Jim Wright's 1986 mission to Moscow. At the Kremlin, I talked briefly with Mikhail Gorbachev about a bill I helped pass that banned flight tests on anti-satellite weapons. It was the first form of arms control ever conceived in and passed by Congress." This is one of a collection of digitized objects from the Les AuCoin Papers (MS.147) at the Pacific University Archives. It originally appeared in an AuCoin family scrapbook documenting U.S. House Speaker Jim Wright's visit to Spain, the Soviet Union, and the Federal Republic of Germany in April 1987. The congressional delegation included Representative Les AuCoin and his wife Sue. Other members of congress on the trip included Tony Coelho, Dick Cheney, Jim Howard, Les Aspin, John Paul Hammerschmidt, Jim Scheuer, Lawrence Coughlin, Ralph Regula, Carrol Hubbard, Tom Downey, Norm Dicks, Wes Watkins, Mickey Leland, Steny Hoyer, Esteban Torres, and Sherwood Boehlert. The AuCoin family loaned the scrapbook to Pacific University Archives in 2022 for digitization, and the scrapbook remains with the AuCoin family.
This scrapbook page includes two photos of Representative Les AuCoin and his wife Sue meeting Mikhail Gorbachev, General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union. See also PUA_MS147_121 and PUA_MS147_37 for other images of the meeting. This is one of a collection of digitized objects from the Les AuCoin Papers (MS.147) at the Pacific University Archives. It originally appeared in an AuCoin family scrapbook documenting U.S. House Speaker Jim Wright's visit to Spain, the Soviet Union, and the Federal Republic of Germany in April 1987. The congressional delegation included Representative Les AuCoin and his wife Sue. Other members of congress on the trip included Tony Coelho, Dick Cheney, Jim Howard, Les Aspin, John Paul Hammerschmidt, Jim Scheuer, Lawrence Coughlin, Ralph Regula, Carrol Hubbard, Tom Downey, Norm Dicks, Wes Watkins, Mickey Leland, Steny Hoyer, Esteban Torres, and Sherwood Boehlert. The AuCoin family loaned the scrapbook to Pacific University Archives in 2022 for digitization, and the scrapbook remains with the AuCoin family.
This scrapbook page includes a photo of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant and a memorandum about a congressional visit to the site. The memorandum, from Mark Nelson to the Foreign Desk, describes how Representatives Les AuCoin (OR), Norm Dicks (WA), and Richard Cheney (WY) were invited to visit the site of the nuclear disaster. This is one of a collection of digitized objects from the Les AuCoin Papers (MS.147) at the Pacific University Archives. It originally appeared in an AuCoin family scrapbook documenting U.S. House Speaker Jim Wright's visit to Spain, the Soviet Union, and the Federal Republic of Germany in April 1987. The congressional delegation included Representative Les AuCoin and his wife Sue. Other members of congress on the trip included Tony Coelho, Dick Cheney, Jim Howard, Les Aspin, John Paul Hammerschmidt, Jim Scheuer, Lawrence Coughlin, Ralph Regula, Carrol Hubbard, Tom Downey, Norm Dicks, Wes Watkins, Mickey Leland, Steny Hoyer, Esteban Torres, and Sherwood Boehlert. The AuCoin family loaned the scrapbook to Pacific University Archives in 2022 for digitization, and the scrapbook remains with the AuCoin family.
Representative Les AuCoin meets with Ukrainian politicians at a banquet in the Mariyinsky Palace in Kiev. Representative Ralph Regula appears to the left of Representative AuCoin. This is one of a collection of digitized objects from the Les AuCoin Papers (MS.147) at the Pacific University Archives. It originally appeared in an AuCoin family scrapbook documenting U.S. House Speaker Jim Wright's visit to Spain, the Soviet Union, and the Federal Republic of Germany in April 1987. The congressional delegation included Representative Les AuCoin and his wife Sue. Other members of congress on the trip included Tony Coelho, Dick Cheney, Jim Howard, Les Aspin, John Paul Hammerschmidt, Jim Scheuer, Lawrence Coughlin, Ralph Regula, Carrol Hubbard, Tom Downey, Norm Dicks, Wes Watkins, Mickey Leland, Steny Hoyer, Esteban Torres, and Sherwood Boehlert. The AuCoin family loaned the scrapbook to Pacific University Archives in 2022 for digitization, and the scrapbook remains with the AuCoin family.
Representative Les AuCoin and his wife Sue at a banquet held in the Mariyinsky Palace in Kyiv. Sue AuCoin's place card appears above the photo. The banquet was held on April 16th, 1987. This is one of a collection of digitized objects from the Les AuCoin Papers (MS.147) at the Pacific University Archives. It originally appeared in an AuCoin family scrapbook documenting U.S. House Speaker Jim Wright's visit to Spain, the Soviet Union, and the Federal Republic of Germany in April 1987. The congressional delegation included Representative Les AuCoin and his wife Sue. Other members of congress on the trip included Tony Coelho, Dick Cheney, Jim Howard, Les Aspin, John Paul Hammerschmidt, Jim Scheuer, Lawrence Coughlin, Ralph Regula, Carrol Hubbard, Tom Downey, Norm Dicks, Wes Watkins, Mickey Leland, Steny Hoyer, Esteban Torres, and Sherwood Boehlert. The AuCoin family loaned the scrapbook to Pacific University Archives in 2022 for digitization, and the scrapbook remains with the AuCoin family.
Representative Les AuCoin presents a peace quilt sewn in Forest Grove, Oregon to a group of politicians in the Soviet Union. PUA_MS147_122 offers a description of the quilt: "This quilt was stitched by the women of the Forest Grove Stitchery Group. In the fall of 1983, this group began planning an Oregon peace quilt that would demonstrate to the women of the Soviet Union, especially, that the women of the U.S.A. stood for friendship and peace between our two countries." This is one of a collection of digitized objects from the Les AuCoin Papers (MS.147) at the Pacific University Archives. It originally appeared in an AuCoin family scrapbook documenting U.S. House Speaker Jim Wright's visit to Spain, the Soviet Union, and the Federal Republic of Germany in April 1987. The congressional delegation included Representative Les AuCoin and his wife Sue. Other members of congress on the trip included Tony Coelho, Dick Cheney, Jim Howard, Les Aspin, John Paul Hammerschmidt, Jim Scheuer, Lawrence Coughlin, Ralph Regula, Carrol Hubbard, Tom Downey, Norm Dicks, Wes Watkins, Mickey Leland, Steny Hoyer, Esteban Torres, and Sherwood Boehlert. The AuCoin family loaned the scrapbook to Pacific University Archives in 2022 for digitization, and the scrapbook remains with the AuCoin family.
Representative Les AuCoin and his wife Sue meet Mikhail Gorbachev, President of the Soviet Union. In typed notes about the image, AuCoin writes: "Sue and I were members of Speaker Jim Wright's 1986 mission to Moscow. At the Kremlin, I talked briefly with Mikhail Gorbachev about a bill I helped pass that banned flight tests on anti-satellite weapons. It was the first form of arms control ever conceived in and passed by Congress. Sue stands behind me." This is one of a collection of digitized objects from the Les AuCoin Papers (MS.147) at the Pacific University Archives. The original photo remains with the AuCoin family.
