The National Commission for Economic Conversion and Disarmament was founded in 1988, with preliminary work starting as early as November 1987. The key principals behind the commission were Seymour Melman

Seymour Melman

Seymour Melman was an American professor emeritus of industrial engineering and operations research at Columbia University's Fu Foundation School of Engineering and Applied Science....

 together with Jonathan Feldman and Robert Krinsky (students of Melman). The three, conceived of the commission as the extension of conversion activities, initiated at Columbia University

Columbia University

Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...

 linked to the Corliss Lamont Fellowship program in Economic Conversion and Disarmament.

The commission promoted public education related to economic conversion

Economic conversion

Economic conversion, defence conversion, or arms conversion, is a technical, economic and political process for moving from military to civilian markets. Economic conversion takes place on several levels and can be applied to different organizations...

 and disarmament

Disarmament

Disarmament is the act of reducing, limiting, or abolishing weapons. Disarmament generally refers to a country's military or specific type of weaponry. Disarmament is often taken to mean total elimination of weapons of mass destruction, such as nuclear arms...

, culminating in a series of conferences, workshops and organizing projects. Among the most significant was the "The U.S. After the Cold War: Claiming the Peace Dividend", a national town meeting held on May 2, 1990 involving political leaders, scholars, activists and concerned citizens. Another key milestone was the support, which former House Speaker Jim Wright

Jim Wright

James Claude Wright, Jr. , usually known as Jim Wright, is a former Democratic U.S. Congressman from Texas who served 34 years in the U.S. House of Representatives and was the Speaker of the House from 1987 to 1989.-Early life:...

 gave to national conversion legislation, naming a comprehensive conversion bill HR 101 (corresponding to the 101st Session of Congress). The commission published a newsletter, The New Economy, and a series of briefing papers related to conversion and disarmament.

The commission supported multilateral disarmament and comprehensive conversion policies. The commission board included members of the United States Congress

United States Congress

The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....

, trade union presidents, scholars and political leaders. In addition to Melman, key board members included Marcus Raskin

Marcus Raskin

Marcus Raskin is a prominent American social critic, political activist, author, and philosopher, working for progressive social change in the United States....

, John Kenneth Galbraith

John Kenneth Galbraith

John Kenneth "Ken" Galbraith , OC was a Canadian-American economist. He was a Keynesian and an institutionalist, a leading proponent of 20th-century American liberalism...

, George McGovern

George McGovern

George Stanley McGovern is an historian, author, and former U.S. Representative, U.S. Senator, and the Democratic Party nominee in the 1972 presidential election....

, Ted Weiss, and various presidents of the Machinists Union (IAM).