Nuclear War, Never Again.

Dear John,

Seventy-five years ago, on July 16, the first nuclear bomb was detonated in New Mexico. Three weeks later, the people living in Hiroshima and Nagasaki were devastated by the United States’ atomic bomb attacks.

Since then, nuclear weapons have not been detonated in combat, but the world has suffered from a costly and dangerous nuclear arms race as well as the health and environmental damage of nuclear bomb production and more than 2,000 test explosions. Over the years, numerous nuclear accidents, false alarms, and major power showdowns have brought us to the edge of catastrophe.

As we mark the solemn anniversary of the start of the nuclear age, please join us as we rededicate ourselves to preventing nuclear catastrophe by making a donation to the Arms Control Association.

Since 1971, the Arms Control Association has been a leading voice for sensible strategies to move the world back from the nuclear brink.

Working with many others, we have helped to advance diplomacy in order to curb the spread of nuclear weapons. We’ve championed policies and treaties that have slashed nuclear arsenals, prohibited nuclear testing, and strengthened the taboo against nuclear possession and use.

Yet today, we all still live with the dangerous possibility of nuclear war.

Mayor Kazumi Matsui of Hiroshima and Mayor Tomihisa Taue of Nagasaki warn: “We are badly off course in efforts to honor the plea of the hibakusha—the survivors of the 1945 atomic bombings – and end the nuclear threat."

• Tensions among many of the world’s nine nuclear-armed states are rising;
• the risk of nuclear use is growing;
• the United States is spending billions of dollars to replace and upgrade its arsenal;
• key agreements that have kept nuclear competition in check are in serious jeopardy; and 
• emerging technologies—including offensive cyber capabilities and artificial intelligence—threaten to upset the delicate balance of nuclear terror.

Last month, President Trump’s “arms control” envoy said the United States is prepared to spend Russia and China “into oblivion” to win a new nuclear arms race. Senior officials have floated the idea of conducting a nuclear weapons test explosion.

Now is a time for serious action on arms control and disarmament, not costly arms racing.

With problems this big, we can’t do it all by ourselves. Our time-tested approach to effecting meaningful change involves working with other like-minded organizations, colleagues, diplomats, and policymakers through our networks in the United States and around the globe.

And others rely upon us.

As Mayors Matsui and Taue recently wrote: “The Arms Control Association is a beacon shining a light to steer us back on course toward a world without nuclear weapons. We rely on specialized organizations such as the Arms Control Association to help ensure that the gravest dangers of nuclear weapons are more widely understood and to provide authoritative information, analysis, and innovative solutions.”

Please consider making a donation to the Arms Control Association in an amount that is meaningful for you given your current finances.