William Hartung:
KCP-To Build or Not to Build

Reasons to Stop the Bombplex

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When most people think of the Kansas City Plant located at 93rd and Troost, they immediately associate it with Bendix Corporation. In 1949 the Atomic Energy Commission asked the Bendix Corporation to manage the facility and began building non-nuclear components for nuclear weapons. Bendix and other predecessor companies have maintained this role over the past 50 years.

For more information, contact Donna Constantineau at (913) 281-5499 or ccarney_1@juno.com.

The President of Honeywell corporation stated that the non-nuclear components they produce comprise 85% of the parts manufactured within the Honeywell nuclear weapons complex as well as 85% of the components that constitute a nuclear weapon. Currently they are shipping an average of 5000 weapon packages monthly. In July 2005 the president of the Honeywell Corp. subsidiary that operates the Kansas City plant said the plant was experiencing its heaviest workoad in 20 years and was projecting that the pace would continue until 2015. We are left with a haunting question: "Why is the plant back to its old workoad of the Cold War years?" It is apparent that another nuclear weapons arms race is underway in our own community! With the U.S. accusing North Korea as being an egregious violator of the Non-Proliferation Treaty, it's time we face our own complicity.

The 1980's was a time when peace activists made their presence known to Bendix. Brother Louis Rodemann recalls the "Bendix Conversion Project" which was an effort to challenge the corporation to use their facility for only civilian products and to stop manufacturing components for nuclear weapons that fueled the arms race. In the 1980's, there were also walks of 60 to 100 activists from Bendix to the Whiteman Air Force Base beginning on August 6th and ending August 9th to commemorate the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. It was said that if the dead bodies were lined up from the two U.S. bombings in Japan, it would equal the distance between Bendix and the Whiteman Air Force Base.

In the early 1990's, according to Brother Louis, the 150 minutemen missiles under the security of the Whiteman Air Force Base were taken out of commission and removed. This victory along with the waning of the Cold War in the early 1990's took the spotlight off the Kansas City Plant. Today, however, the National Nuclear Security Administration owns the plant that is managed by Honeywell Corporation.

On the plan's website (www.kcp.com) Steve Taylor, Kansas City Site Office Manager said, "Honeywell has always maintained its long-standing tradition of excellence in the supporting non-nuclear components for the nuclear weapon stockpiles." He adds, "In 2005, the NNSA challenged Honeywell to deliver a plan to transform the Kansas City Plant into a smaller, more cost-effective operation in order to meet the challenging demands of the nation's nuclear deterrent."

Our work here is in conjunction with the Alliance for Nuclear Accountability.