OPEN LETTER TO PRESIDENT OBAMA:
Fulfill the Prague Promises of Nuclear Disarmament

Dear Mr. President:

As you approach your final year in office as President of the United States, I write to urge you to take critical steps to fulfill the promises of nuclear disarmament set forth in your 2009 Prague speech.

You stated, “…I state clearly and with conviction America’s commitment to seek the peace and security of a world without nuclear weapons.”  There can be no doubt that America and all other countries would be more secure in a world without the overarching threat of nuclear devastation.  You also stated in the Prague speech, “…as the only nuclear power to have used a nuclear weapon, the United States has a moral responsibility to act.  We cannot succeed in this endeavor alone, but we can lead it, we can start it.”

These were wise words, speaking to the critical role of the United States in leading the world out of the nuclear age, as we led it into the nuclear age.  With a little over a year remaining in your final term, it is important for you to take action that would lead toward a nuclear-free world.

Please consider the following steps:

  1. Fulfill the U.S. obligation under Article VI of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty by providing leadership to convene good faith negotiations among the world’s countries for an end to the nuclear arms race, including modernization of nuclear arsenals, and for complete nuclear disarmament.
  1. Take all U.S. nuclear weapons off high-alert status.
  1. Declare a U.S. policy of No First Use of nuclear weapons.
  1. Complete the job of securing all weapons-grade nuclear materials throughout the world.
  1. Speak out and educate the American people about the dangers and lack of security inherent in nuclear deterrence policies, as well as the provocative and offensive capabilities inherent in missile defense policies.

You could set the world on a fast-track course for nuclear zero.  You are approaching the end of your opportunity as President to do this.  Judging from your Prague speech, you know it is the right thing to do.  Don’t miss this chance, leaving open the very real possibility of foreclosing the future through nuclear war by accident or design.  You have a unique opportunity to secure this victory for all humanity, or at the least set it in motion by your leadership in the final year of your presidency.

You, and only you, can do this.

Respectfully,

David Krieger, President
Nuclear Age Peace Foundation