NUCLEAR ABOLITION SUMMIT

BREAKING THE NUCLEAR CHAIN
1996 and Beyond
NO TESTING! NO PRODUCTION NO DUMPING NO NUKES!

INITIAL ENDORSING ORGANIZATIONS:

BAN Waste Coalition

Bay Area Action

Center for Energy Research

Citizen Alert

CTB Clearinghouse

Gray Panthers

Grandmothers for Peace (Northland Chapter)

Manhattan Project II

Peace Action

Peace Action Education Fund

Proposition One

Sane/Freeze Hawaii. Seeds of Peace

Shundahai Network

Unity Foundation

War Resisters League

Western States Legal Foundation

Wetlands Preserve Environmental Center

Women Strike for Peace

Dear Friends,

We hope that this letter finds you in good health and spirit. We are excited to be working with you on this effort to organize and hold the NUCLEAR ABOLITION SUMMIT, Breaking the Nuclear Chain, April 1-4, Las Vegas - Nevada Test Site and NUCLEAR ABOLITION DAY OF ACTION, April 8 1996, Nevada Test Site. These events are held in Conjunction with HEALING GLOBAL WOUNDS Spring Gathering, April 4-7, Nevada Test Site and Lenten Desert Experience Holy Week Walk from Las Vegas to Nevada Test Site, March 31-April 5.

1996 represents an incredible window of opportunity for the Nuclear Abolition Movement. At no other time in the nuclear age have all the nuclear powers been so close to a decision to Ban Nuclear Testing and deal seriously with nuclear disarmament! It is up to us as Grassroots organizers and activists to foster this debate on the national level, take advantage of the increased media coverage of nuclear issues and make it an election year campaign priority.

We believe that the Nuclear Abolition Summit will have a long lasting benefit for the Nuclear Abolition Movement. The global community is working hard to achieve a Comprehensive Test Ban and timebound framework for complete nuclear disarmament. This Summit is being organized so that our very active organizations and grassroots activists can define a common, cohesive plan of action to fulfill our goals of nuclear abolition. We look forward to sharing this time with you when we can celebrate our diversity and strength and plan for the future.

We are currently preparing an updated organizers packet to go out in the next couple of weeks. It would be great to include any input you might have into this process. We hope that you take this opportunity to review the Agenda Development Questionnaire, think about what you would like to see happen at and come out of the Nuclear Abolition Summit, then share your ideas with us.

Through the Nuclear Abolition Summit we will be able to focus on:

- Linking the efforts of our local and national organizations and activists to raise public and political awareness of nuclear issues.
- Outlining the differing roles our respective organizations will take to foster grassroots activism in the 1996 election, and initiate a national debate on nuclear issues.
- Working together to increase the role of citizen participation in the decision making process of the DOE and other governmental agencies.

Through Strategic Working Groups we can create a five year plan to allow our organizations to work effectively together in order to mobilize public support for:

- A Truly Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty
- Elimination of nuclear weapons design, testing, production and a timebound framework for complete nuclear disarmament.
- Stopping the production, transportation and dumping of nuclear waste
-creating solutions to containment of this waste and isolation/clean up of contaminated areas.
- Respect for Human Rights and Native Sovereignty

Las Vegas and the Nevada Test Site (NTS) are important places for us to gather. They are near two proposed low level nuclear dumps and Yucca Mountain. NTS is where the US plans to begin conducting Subcritical Nuclear Testing and where they continue transportation to and storage of nuclear waste in shallow unlined trenches without any public oversight.

We are currently forming Workshops. If you have a Workshop that you would like to propose, please let us know. Some of the current possibilities of topics include:

Nuclear Weapons Testing and Development, Nuclear Stockpile Stewardship and Management, Disarmament / Arms Control , Current legislation and Windows of Opportunity, Nuclear Energy, Nuclear Waste, Transportation of Nuclear material , Nuclear Free Zones / Citizens Initiatives, Indigenous Peoples Sovereignty affected by the Nuclear Chain, Appropriate ways for Non-Natives to support Native issues, Environmental Racism, Nonviolence and Direct Action.

The Summit COULD help further the efforts of Strategy Working Groups on:

Election Year Campaign, Media, Public Outreach, Legislative issues, Grassroots Activism, Legal, Education, Information exchange, Spirituality-faith based activism, Legal strategies, Nonviolent Direct Action.

In the next week an ad hoc agenda committee will synthesize all of the ideas and proposals that we are receiving and come up with a general agenda plan which we hope to include in the next organizers project. We are beginning to solidify commitments from individuals and organizations to facilitate some Workshops, Presentations and Working Group discussions.

The Nuclear Abolition Summit will open an office in Las Vegas in the first week of March. The purpose of the office will be to complete ground level logistical organizing for the NAS, registration follow up and outreach to local groups and to the media. The office space is being donated by Citizen Alert and will be staffed by a group of volunteers including Reinard Knutsen, Stephanie Fraser and Sarah Seeds. The Shundahai Network will continue to coordinate International and National Outreach through it's DC office.

We have already mailed out over 1100 information packets and have distributed more then 1400 brochures on NAS and NADA. We will begin to do follow up phone calls in the next couple of weeks. We have sent out over 120 alterative press packets and are preparing 150 mainstream press packets for international media contacts in DC. We are pursuing active media coverage and participation in the summit and Test Site activities. In two weeks we will be ready to mail out to around 100 international organizations.

The Proposition One Committee has helped us to create a World Wide Web Home Page for the Nuclear Abolition Summit. Check it out! You can get updated information on the NAS at http://www.prop1.org/prop1/nas.htm.

We are in the process of developing an updated registration packet. We are doing research on Flight and Hotel information and are exploring discounted packages.

We are preparing to print up another 1000 brochures. This will probably be the last printing so if you know of any organization that might like to be listed with the other endorsers on the flyer and brochure or any other changes and feedback, please let us know ASAP. We plan on going to print on Monday, February 19th.

As this organizing process is also a learning process for us, please feel free to give us any practical advice or suggestions. This is an exciting journey to be on with all of you and we appreciate your enthusiasm and commitment for a Nuclear Free Future.

We look forward to sending you the updated information packets as soon as we are able.

Reinard Knutsen

For the Shundahai Network Staff Collective

Invitation - Proposal - Shundahai Committment - Schedule
Proposition One --- Peace Park --- Current Events