As you might guess, a meeting request directly from you -- a constituent -- will stand a far greater chance of success than one generated in UCS's Washington office. You simply need to personalize the model letter below with the information described here, and fax it to the representative's or senator's scheduler.

Once you have a meeting, contact SecurityNet (securitynet@ucsusa.org) if you would like help with strategies for specific members of Congress, or would like information on materials to leave with the lawmaker. In some cases, UCS may be able to send reports or other materials to the member's Washington office.

Meetings are usually easier to secure when the lawmaker is visiting his or her home state or district. During these times, he or she generally has several hours put aside to meet with constituents. Meetings in Washington while Congress is in session can be more difficult to get, although very much still possible. At the least, you will be able to meet with one of the lawmaker's legislative assistants (who often know more about the particular issue you will be discussing).

To find the phone and fax numbers of your representative's or senator's Washington, D.C. office, check your local telephone book under the government listings. Call the local office and ask for the names of the lawmaker's scheduler and/or a defense issues assistant (defense LA). Next, fax or mail a letter similar to the one below requesting a meeting, putting it to the attention of the scheduler. You should indicate how flexible you are with the time of the meeting, as this will increase your chances of getting a meeting during busier days.

Within 24 hours of sending the fax, call the scheduler and confirm his or her receipt of the note. If you have not heard back in three to four days, call the scheduler again and ask if a meeting has been arranged.

If it is still unclear, it would not hurt to speak with the defense aide to encourage the scheduler to place a higher priority on the meeting. If the lawmaker is absolutely unavailable, you may end up with a meeting with the defense aide, but never offer that option yourself. Continue to press for a meeting with the lawmaker until the last minute.

This may seem like a redundant process, but in our experience, this level of intervention is required to secure a meeting.

See below for a sample meeting request and best of luck!

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[Date]

FAXED LETTER

Representative or Senator Jane Smith
United States House of Representatives or Senate
Washington, D.C. 20515 (for House) 20510 (for Senate)

ATTN: Scheduler's Name, fax number

Dear Rep./Sen. Smith:

As a member of [note affiliation with UCS or other organization, as appropriate] and as a scientist [or engineer] [replace with specific sub-discipline, if desired] from [name institution, if desired], I am writing to request a meeting with you and your defense aides on the subject of National Missile Defense (NMD) and global security issues. [If appropriate, briefly mention any additional credentials that would convince the scheduler to make you a priority!]

As you know, President Bush has pushed for rapid deployment of a more "robust" NMD system than the one developed by the Clinton administration. However, the president has few if any viable near- or even mid-term options, as no system is close to being ready to begin deployment. As explained in a Union of Concerned Scientists/MIT report on NMD, the current administration's ground-based system is vulnerable to simple countermeasures that would be available to any country capable of fielding a long-range missile. Many of the missile defense systems being considered by the Bush administration have the same flaw.

I will be available to meet with you anytime on [give date(s)] [, and would like to bring with me my colleagues, name [list colleagues, if applicable], also from [your state/district]].

I can be reached at the phone number[s] below, and look forward to hearing from you soon.

Respectfully yours,

Dr./Mr./Mrs. _____________
Address
PHONE NUMBERS