Dear all,
A world-wide campaign is being undertaken to fax Presidents Yeltsin and
Clinton on 1st September, or immediately after. It is vitally important
that all nuclear weapons and forces are de-alerted over the Y2K rollover
period, to negate the possibility of an accidental nuclear catastrophe.
We ask all individuals and organisations to send the message below, or
something similar, to the fax numbers given, as close as possible to the 1st
September. Please pass this request on to others.
Sincerely,
Irene Gale AM, Secretary, APC (SA) Inc.
DRAFT MODEL LETTER TO YELTSIN AND CLINTON FOR
GLOBAL FAX CAMPAIGN STARTING SEPTEMBER 1
To:
PRESIDENT BORIS YELTSIN, +7-095-205-4330,
PRESIDENT BILL CLINTON, +1-202-456-2461,
Dear Presidents Yeltsin, and Clinton,
I am writing to you to convey my extreme concern over the possibility that
Y2K-related problems in the computerised command, control, and monitoring
systems of nuclear forces and weapon systems, may give rise to an
unacceptable risk of accidental nuclear war, as a result of incorrect data
and miscalculation. I therefore urge you to solve the problem by taking
your nuclear forces off alert, or by standing them down.
I ask that standing down nuclear forces in view of the problems posed by the
'Millennium Bug', be a matter for urgent priority discussions at the G8
Summit in Berlin on Sept 21. As well asY2K considerations, taking nuclear
weapons off alert will increase strategic stability and confidence, and
eliminate the possibility of accidental nuclear war.
I would remind you that your two countries have some 5000 strategic nuclear
weapons that are able to be fired within a time span of 15-30 minutes. This
must never happen. Should it do so, not only would your two countries cease
to exist, but it is entirely possible that human life, and maybe all life on
the planet, could be terminated. Any risk of this happening at any time,
Y2K or otherwise, no matter how small, is unacceptable.
However, the Y2K problem adds another layer of uncertainty to the risk that
already exists. Taking nuclear forces off alert was strongly recommended by
the Canberra Commission on the Elimination of Nuclear Weapons in 1996, and a
number of resolutions of the United Nations General Assembly have urged that
it be done.
Taking nuclear weapons off alert and placing them in a state in which hours
to days rather than minutes or seconds would be required to make them launch
ready, would effectively eliminate the risk of accidental nuclear war due to
the Y2K computer problem. It would also make impossible the many non-Y2K
related problems that have many times brought us to within minutes of a
possible nuclear exchange.
De-Alerting will cost you nothing, and can be done by a simple executive
order to stand down nuclear forces. The UK has already altered its 'notice
to fire' from minutes to days.
I urge you to do likewise.
The stakes involved far outweigh any considerations of national pride,
national interest, or even national security. Indeed, the immediate stakes
are so high, and the potential for global catastrophe so clear that mutually
verified de-alerting must now take precedence over all other considerations.
Signed... etc
_____________________________________
Australian Peace Committee (SA Branch)Inc.
11 South Tce, Adelaide SA 5000 Australia
Ph: (+61-8) 82127138 Fx: (+61-8) 83642291
Email: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
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