PEOPLE FOR NUCLEAR DISARMAMENT

We strongly support such reductions, and would wish to affirm in the
strongest possible terms, that:
    *
Deterring aggression against the United States (and any other States)
in the 21st Century can rely more and more on non-nuclear means thus
reducing or eliminating any need to rely on nuclear weapons;

    *
the global elimination of nuclear weapons, under strict and effective
international control, is an obligation and commitment of all nuclear
weapons possessing states;

    * Leadership of the United States in drastically reducing nuclear
stockpiles will stimulate and enable reciprocal reductions and
negotiations for bilateral, pluri-lateral and multilateral nuclear
disarmament;


*As an imperative for both human survival and the security of States,
nuclear disarmament must take a priority in the achievement of
national security. Indeed, the speedy achievement of a nuclear
weapons free world should be considered as amongst the highest
security goals of US and other nations.

*That those who argue that the US must indefinitely maintain large nuclear
forces for a variety of security tasks that can be better met by
other means place the security of the United States and the whole
world in jeopardy.

Your attention is drawn to the work on nuclear winter done most recently
(since 2006) by Toon and Robock, and others, showing that the use of
even a small portion of global nuclear arsenals could cause global
famines that could last for up to a decade, and that a US-Russia
nuclear exchange would bring about temperatures not experienced since
the last ice age.

We commend the United States for joining the other States Parties to the
NPT in 2010 to highlight that any use of nuclear weapons would create
catastrophic humanitarian consequences, and we draw Your attention to
the declaration by 16 governments at the May2012 NPT Prepcom on
Catastrophic Humanitarian Effects of Nuclear Weapons Use, and to both
the international law implications of that issue and to its real
implications for the continuance of civilisation and human survival.

Your attention is also drawn to recent reports and
arguments by a number of US military experts including former US
Commander James Cartwright for Global Zero showing that deep
reductions in US forces are both practical and helpful to US security
and global stability.

We strongly urge you to implement deep reductions as a step towards the
complete global elimination of nuclear arsenals worldwide with the
knowledge that such steps are strongly supported by public opinion,
other States, international organisations, common sense, and
international law.

Signed

John Hallam, People for Nuclear Disarmament Nuclear Flashpoints
Project/Human Survival Project, Sydney Aust,

Judy Blyth, Co-Convenor, People for Nuclear Disarmament W.A.,Perth, W.A.,  

Rev. Christopher Ridings, Uniting Church Minister, Ryde, NSW, Aust,  

Fr Claude Mostowick, President, Pax Christi Australia, National
Director, MSC Justice and Peace Centre,

Markus Atkinson, Anti Nuclear Alliance of Western Australia, Footprints for
Peace, Fremantle, W.A.,

Jenny Grounds, President, Medical Association for the Prevention of War
(MAPW), Carlton, Vic,  

Chris Hamer, President, Scientists for  Global Responsibility, Sydney,
Australia,

Prof. Elmars Krausz, Laser and Optical Spectroscopy, Australian National
University, Canberra, ACT.  

Alyn Ware, Aotearoa Lawyers for Peace, Member, World Future Project

Dr John Hinchcliffe, President, New Zealand Peace Foundation, Auckland,
New Zealand,  

Barney Richards, President, Gerald O'Brien, President of Honour, Peace
Council Aotearoa NZ, Wellington, NZ,  

Dr Ranjith Jayasekhara, Sri-Lankan Doctors for Peace and Development,
Kandy, Sri Lanka,  

Mani Shankar Aiyar, Member of Parliament, Rajya Sabha, New Delhi India,  

Sukla Sen, EKTA, (Committee for Communal Amity) Mumbai, India,

Vijai K. Nair, Magoo Strategic Infotech, Delhi, (Noida) India,  

Sri Prakash, CNDP, Delhi, India,  

Prof. Emeritus Achin Vanaik, Founding Member, Coalition for Nuclear
Disarmament and Peace (CNDP), Delhi,  

S.P. Udayakumar Phd, Coordinator, Peoples Movement Against Nuclear Energy,
National Alliance of Anti Nuclear Movements, Koodankulam, Tamil Nadu,
South India,  

Gopal Krishna, Toxics Alliance, New Delhi,  

Shrikrishna Upadhyay, SAPPROS Nepal,  

Eiichi Takimoto, Secy-General, Japan Asia-Africa-Latin-America Solidarity
Committee, Tokyo, Japan,  

Takao Takahara, Hiromichi Umebayashi, Kazuhiko Tamaki, Vice President,
Peace Depot, Yokohama, Japan,

Paul Saoke, IPPNW Kenya, Nairobi,  

Jakob Von Uexkull, Founder, Right Livelihood Award, Founder, World Future
Council, London, UK,  

Kate Hudson,Secy, Dave Webb, Chair, Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND)
London, UK,

Philip Gilligan, Chair, Greater Manchester and District Campaign for Nuclear
Disarmament,  

Peter Nicholls, Abolition-2000 UK,

Dr Gill Cox, Chair, West Midlands Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament,
Birmingham UK,  

Senator David Norris, Seanad Eireann, Lienster House, Dublin, Ireland,

Kati Juva, Physicians for Social Responsibility Finland, Helsinki,
Finland,

Professor Bent Natvig, Chair, Norwegian Pugwash Committee, Oslo,

Hallgeir H. Langelend MP, Stavanger, Norway,

John G. Maeland, Chair, Bergen, Kirsten Osen, Norwegian Physicians Against
Nuclear Weapons, Oslo,  

Agneta Norberg, Vice-Chair, Swedish Peace Council, Stockholm,

Holger K. Nielsen, Vice-Speaker, Danish Parliament,  

Jana
Jedlickova, World Without Wars and Violence, Czech Republic,  

Wolfgang Schlup-Hauck, Chair, Friedenswerkstatt Mutlangen, Germany,

Regina Hagen, Darmstädter Friedensforum, Darmstadt/Germany,

Uta Zapf, MP, Bundestag, Berlin, Germany,

Angelika Graf, MP, Bundestag, Germany,  

Susi Snyder, IKV Pax Christi, Utrecht, Netherlands,

Dirk Van Der Maelen MP, Vice-President Commission on Foreign Affairs,
Flemish Socialist Party, Belgium,  

Jean-Marie Matagne, President, Action Des Citoyens pour le Desarmement Nucleaire
(ACDN), Saintes, France,  

Abraham Behar, Past IPPNW Co-President, President, AMFPGN, France,  

Patrick Hubert, Mouvement pour une Alternative Non-Violente,  

Dominique Lalanne, Chair, Armes Nucleaires STOP, France,

Sophie Morel, Reseau Sortir du Nucleaire, France,

Natalie Gauchet, Michel Dolot, Co-Chairs, Mouvement de la Paix, France,  

Pierre Villard, Coordinator, ICAN France,  

Patrice Bouveret, directeur de l'Observatoire des Armements, France,  

Lisa Clark, Vice-President, Beati I Costruttori di Pace, Italy,

Natalia Mironova, President, Movement for Nuclear Safety, Russia,  

Derman Boztok, General Secretary and International Councillor, IPPNW Turkey,  

Kathleen Sullivan, Director, Hibakusha Stories, New York, USA,

Marylia Kelley, Tri-Valley CARES, Livermore, CA, USA,  

David Krieger, President, Nuclear Age Peace Foundation, Santa Barbara,
Calif, USA,

Alice Slater, Nuclear Age Peace Foundation New York,  

Steven Starr, Senior Scientist, Physicians for Social Responsibility,
Columbia, Missouri USA,  

Bruce Gagnon, Global Network Against Nuclear Power and Weapons in Space,
USA,  

Alfred L. Marder, President, International Association of Peace Messenger
Cities, New Haven, Ct, USA,

Lisle Merriman, Episcopal Peace Fellowship, Ohio USA,

Kathy Wanpovi Sanchez, Tewa Women United, Nevada, USA,  

Laura H. Roskos, Odile Hugonot Haber, Womens International League for Peace
and Freedom, – US Section, USA,  

Regina Birchem, Past International President, Womens International League
for Peace and Freedom, Pittsburgh, USA,

Jill Mackie, WILPF Oregon, Ashland, Oregon, USA,  

Lorraine Krofchock, Grandmothers for Peace International, Elk Grove, CA, USA,  

Prof. Gerson T. Lesser, NY University School of Medicine(Ret), Fmr
Co-chair, Scientists Institute for Nuclear Information, NY, USA,  

Gerre McKenna, Peace Circle of St Pauls Towers, Oakland, CA,

Lynne Rudmin Chong, Chair, New Hampshire Peace Action Education Fund,
Sanbornton, New Hampshire, USA,  

R. Addison, APECO, Calif, Colorado, Wyoming, USA.

Herbert J. Hoffman, President, Maine Veterans for Peace, Ogunquit, Maine,
USA,  

Prof. Irene Gendzier, Dept of Political Science, Boston Univ, Boston, Mass,
USA,

Henry Lowendorf, Chair, Greater New Haven Peace Council, New Haven, CT,
USA,  

Tina Anderson, British Columbia Teachers Federation,  BC, Canada,  

Dr John D. Bury, Veterans Against Nuclear Arms, Saskatchewan, Canada,  

Phyllis Creighton, Veterans Against Nuclear Arms, (VANA), Ontario-Quebec,
Toronto, Canada,

Barbara Birkett,  Past President, Physicians for Global Survival,
ICAN-Oakville, Toronto Hiroshima Day Coalition,  

Judith Deutsch, President, Science for Peace, Toronto,

Reverend Frances Deverell, Canadian Unitarians for Social Justice, Ottowa,
Canada,

Edik Zvarenstein, Canadian Peace Congress, Toronto,  

Tony Robinson, International Spokesperson, World Without Wars and
Violence,

John Beeching, Chair, CPS,