COMPREHENSIVE TEST BAN IN JEOPARDY. President Clinton
is expected to make a decision very soon on the future of
nuclear weapons testing. Administration members who are
responsible for developing President Clinton's nuclear
testing policy are considering a proposal that would
violate the Nuclear Testing Moratorium law approved in
1992. The Departments of Energy and State, and the Joint
Chiefs of Staff, have proposed a plan that would abandon
efforts for a Comprehensive Test Ban (CTB) and would
permit small nuclear tests (up to one kiloton in yield)
as part of a "partial test ban." This clearly violates
the law enacted last year, which calls for an end to ALL
U.S. testing by 1996 and requires, as well, that the
administration work to achieve a multilateral,
Comprehensive Test Ban. Quick action is needed to
express public opposition to this unwelcome proposal.
ACTION: We suggest two approaches. (1) Please call the
White House Comment Line at (202) 456-1111, and address
your remarks to both President Clinton and National
Security Advisor Anthony Lake. State your opposition to
the proposed one-kiloton testing threshold, and urge the
President not to abandon his campaign promise to achieve
a CTB. The White House can also be reached via
electronic mail (address: clintonpz@aol.com). (2)
Please call or write your senators and representative,
urging them to tell the President that they oppose any
proposal that does not conform to the Nuclear Testing
Moratorium law enacted last year.