Nuclear weapons remain one of the gravest and most immediate threats to human civilization. UCS is engaged in an ambitious advocacy effort to call for a sustained and visible dialogue in the United States that will build political will and broad public support for policies that will lead to a world free of nuclear weapons. A major component of our campaign is focused on the 2008 presidential election, urging all of the candidates to prioritize putting the world on the path toward a world without nuclear weapons.

That path should begin with policies that will reduce U.S. reliance on nuclear weapons and the size of the U.S. arsenal, limit the development of nuclear weapons by other countries, consolidate the U.S. nuclear weapons complex, and strengthen non-proliferation efforts.

UCS is not alone in our efforts. In January 2007, former Secretaries of State Henry Kissinger and George Shultz, former Secretary of Defense William Perry and former Chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee Sam Nunn called for U.S. leadership toward a “World Free of Nuclear Weapons.” They wrote that, without urgent action, the United States and the world is on the brink of a “dangerous nuclear era” in which many more nations or terrorists would obtain nuclear weapons. Read their statement (pdf).

Please ask the presidential candidates to make reducing the nuclear threat a major priority in their campaigns. We have provided a sample letter below, contact information for the 2008 presidential candidates, and a report back form so you can let us know what response you receive.

Sample Letter:

Dear Candidate,

I am writing to strongly encourage you to make reducing the nuclear threat a major priority in your campaign and to embrace policies that will lead toward a world free of nuclear weapons.

Nuclear weapons remain one of the gravest, most immediate threats to humankind. It is unacceptable that the United States and Russia maintain thousands of nuclear weapons that can be accidentally or intentionally launched in minutes.

Warning of a "dangerous new nuclear era," George Shultz, Henry Kissinger, Sam Nunn, and others are calling for the United States to embrace the "vision of a world free of nuclear weapons."

To embrace that vision, I urge you to support a no-first use nuclear weapons policy and ratification of the comprehensive test ban treaty, and to commit to working with Russia and other nations to reduce and eventually eliminate nuclear weapons. By doing so, our country will be more secure.

Sincerely,

For more information on what steps the next president could take to reduce nuclear dangers, see Toward True Security: A New Nuclear Posture for the Next Decade.