AN OPEN LETTER TO PRESIDENT CLINTON

July 21, 1997

Hon. William Clinton
The White House
Washington, D.C.

Dear Mr. President:

We write to express our strong opposition to U.S. participation in any international agreement that would prohibit the defensive use by American forces of modern, self-destructing anti-personnel landmines (APLs) and/or the use of so-called “dumb mines” in the Korean demilitarized zone. In our experience, such responsible use of APLs is not only consistent with the Nation’s humanitarian responsibilities; it is indispensable to the safety of our troops in many combat and peacekeeping situations.

We are also concerned about the implications of legislation that would unilaterally deny the U.S. military the ability to deploy any kind of anti-personnel landmines (except command-detonated Claymores and, provisionally, those in the Korean DMZ). We agree with the Joint Chiefs of Staff who have — as stated by their Chairman, General John Shalikashvili — declared that a legislatively imposed moratorium on APL use:

“…constitutes an increased risk to the lives of U.S. forces, particularly in Korea and Southwest Asia, and threatens mission accomplishment. It is the professional military judgment of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the geographic Combatant Commanders that the loss of APL which occurs as a result of this moratorium, without a credible offset, will result in unacceptable military risk to U.S. forces.”

In fact, studies suggest that U.S./allied casualties may be increased by as much as 35% if self-destructing mines are unavailable — particularly in the “halting phase” of operations against aggressors. Such a cost is especially unsupportable since the type of mines utilized by U.S. forces and the manner in which they are employed by those forces do not contribute to the humanitarian problem that impels diplomatic and legislative initiatives to ban APLs.

Unfortunately, a ban on future deployments of APLs will in no way diminish the danger posed by tens of millions of “dumb” landmines that have been irresponsibly sown where they will inflict terror and devastation on civilian populations. Detecting and clearing such mines should continue to receive urgent attention from our government and others. The unverifiability and unenforceability of a ban on production of such devices, however, virtually ensures that this practice will continue in the future. Only the U.S. military — and those of other law-abiding nations — will be denied a means, through the use of marked and monitored minefields, of reducing the costs and increasing the probability of victory in future conflicts.

Mr. President, we have fought our Nation’s wars and our battlefield experience causes us to urge you to resist all efforts to impose a moratorium on the future use of self-destructing anti-personnel landmines by combat forces of the United States.

Sincerely,

Robert H. Barrow
General, U.S. Marine Corps (Ret.)
Former Commandant

Walter E. Boomer
General, U.S. Marine Corps (Ret.)
Former Assistant Commandant

Leonard F. Chapman, Jr.
General, U.S. Marine Corps (Ret.)
Former Commandant

George B. Crist
General, U.S. Marine Corps (Ret.)
Former Commander-in-Chief, U.S. Central Command

Raymond G. Davis
General, U.S. Marine Corps (Ret.)
Former Assistant Commandant and Medal of Honor Recipient (Korea)

Michael S. Davison
General, United States Army (Ret.)
Former Commander-in-Chief, U.S. Army, Europe

John W. Foss
General, United States Army (Ret.)
Commanding General, U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command

Alfred M. Gray
General, U.S. Marine Corps (Ret.)
Former Commandant

Alexander M. Haig, Jr.
General, United States Army (Ret.)
Former Supreme Allied Commander, Europe
Former Secretary of State

P.X. Kelley
General, U.S. Marine Corps (Ret.)
Former Commandant

Frederick J. Kroesen
General, United States Army (Ret.)
Former Commander-in-Chief, U.S. Army, Europe

Gary E. Luck
General, United States Army (Ret.)
Former Commander-in-Chief, United Nations Command/Combined Forces Command, Korea

David M. Maddox
General, United States Army (Ret.)
Former Commander-in-Chief, U.S. Army, Europe

Carl E. Mundy
General, U.S. Marine Corps (Ret.)
Former Commandant

Glenn K. Otis
General, United States Army (Ret.)
Former Commander-in-Chief, U.S. Army, Europe

Robert W. RisCassi
General, United States Army (Ret.)
Former Vice Chief of Staff

Crosbie E. Saint
General, United States Army (Ret.)
Former Commander-in-Chief, U.S. Army, Europe

Donn A. Starry
General, United States Army (Ret.)
Former Commanding General, U.S. Army Readiness Command

Gordon R. Sullivan
General, United States Army (Ret.)
Former Chief of Staff

John W. Vessey
General, U.S. Army (Ret.)
Former Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff

Louis C. Wagner, Jr.
General, United States Army
Former Commanding General, Army Materiel Command

Joseph J. Went
General, U.S. Marine Corps (Ret.)
Former Assistant Commandant

William C. Westmoreland
General, United States Army (Ret.)
Former Chief of Staff

Louis H. Wilson
General, U.S. Marine Corps (Ret.)
Former Commandant and Medal of Honor Recipient (World War II)