riddle@ut-sally.UUCP (Prentiss Riddle) (07/06/84)
Letters for Peace is a grassroots program that helps American citizens
communicate their concerns about the arms race and the danger of nuclear
war to their counterparts in the Soviet Union.
Each sender of a Letter for Peace receives a standard two-page letter
written in Russian, an English translation of the letter, and a stamped
envelope pre-addressed to an individual selected at random from a
Soviet telephone directory. Senders are encouraged to add their own
thoughts in simple English and to invite the recipient to reply.
An excerpt from the English translation of the letter:
"I am writing this because I am aware of the frightening danger of
deadly combat between our countries with the use of missiles with
nuclear warheads. Believe me, we Americans do not want to cause
you any harm, and we believe you feel the same toward us. But the
thousands of nuclear warheads of our countries are aimed at each
other and can cause the suffering of people and the devastation
not only of the USSR and the USA but of all our earth... The
rulers of our governments are searching for ways to lessen the
danger of nuclear war, and we hope that we can help those efforts
by extending out our hands to one another as a sign of our
struggle for nuclear disarmament."
As you may gather, the message is not intended to belabor the disputes
over nuclear issues between or within the two nations or to lay blame
for the problem, but simply to express the fact that Americans, too,
are concerned about nuclear war and how to avoid it. The form letter
is just a way to open communication; more detailed discussion is then
up to the individual correspondents. Since each letter is estimated
to reach an average of 25 pass-along readers, an individual sender can
have some impact.
For a sample Letter for Peace and more information, write to:
Letters for Peace
59 Bluff Ave.
Rowayton, Connecticut 06853
--- Prentiss Riddle ("Aprendiz de todo, maestro de nada.")
--- {ihnp4,harvard,seismo,gatech,ctvax}!ut-sally!riddlepiet@mcvax.UUCP (Piet Beertema) (07/09/84)
<...>
Please direct a copy of each letter to Ronnie & Co.
--
Piet Beertema, CWI, Amsterdam
...{decvax,philabs}!mcvax!pietwetcw@pyuxa.UUCP (T C Wheeler) (07/10/84)
If you think that your Letters for Peace are going to get through the Soviet mail system, then your very naive. Once they get wind of the project, (now that you have told them on the net), they will simply burn your letters. They have a bad habit of opening mail over there, it's legal you see. T. C. Wheeler
jho@ihuxn.UUCP (Yosi Hoshen) (07/10/84)
>If you think that your Letters for Peace are going to get >through the Soviet mail system, then your very naive. Once >they get wind of the project, (now that you have told them >on the net), they will simply burn your letters. They have >a bad habit of opening mail over there, it's legal you see. The Soviets may not destroy a letter, if they think it will serve Soviet propaganda. They may even publish it. -- Yosi Hoshen Bell Laboratories Naperville, Illinois (312)-979-7321 Mail: ihnp4!ihuxn!jho
mjk@tty3b.UUCP (Mike Kelly) (07/11/84)
Thanks to Tom Wheeler for his ever-vigilant efforts to let us all know just how big and bad the evil empire is. Never let up, Tom. There's a real danger that Americans will start thinking life is better in the USSR. I just thank [gG]od we have the net (and Tom!) to inform us about about how bad the USSR really is. Without them, we'd never know. Mike Kelly
wetcw@pyuxa.UUCP (T C Wheeler) (07/11/84)
The Name's not Tom. And yes, naiveity is what let the Nazis do their thing with impunity over 40 years ago. You go ahead and sit back on your keester, I'm going to keep an eye on those folks. T. C. Wheeler
cher@ihuxi.UUCP (Mike Musing) (07/11/84)
In my opinion Letters For Peace is not a good way of investing money and effort. Some of the reasons: - Filtering done by the Soviet postal service - Influence of the "public opinion" on political decisionmaking = 0. - Totally warped perception of the possible mechanics of movements like "Letters". In other words: the letter won't get there; if it does the effect will not be what you hope it would; if it is - so what, it does not matter anyway. Probably, a better way to spend the money is to expand the broadcasting of the radio programs to the USSR.
mwm@ea.UUCP (07/13/84)
#R:pyuxa:-87200:ea:10100056:000:318 ea!mwm Jul 12 16:53:00 1984 /***** ea:net.politics / tty3b!mjk / 9:45 pm Jul 10, 1984 */ I just thank [gG]od we have the net (and Tom!) to inform us about about how bad the USSR really is. Without them, we'd never know. Mike Kelly /* ---------- */ Except, of course, for the eyewitness reports from people who've visited the place. <mike
al@ames.UUCP (Al Globus) (07/14/84)
>>If you think that your Letters for Peace are going to get >>through the Soviet mail system, then your very naive. Once >>they get wind of the project, (now that you have told them >>on the net), they will simply burn your letters. They have >>a bad habit of opening mail over there, it's legal you see. >The Soviets may not destroy a letter, if they think it will >serve Soviet propaganda. They may even publish it. >-- You guys have rather naive ideas about how efficient the Soviet system is. If you send enough letters a lot will get through. Also, although the Soviet regime is definitely repressive, it's not quite as bad as RR would have us believe (although Stalin in the 30's got close). I was there in 68 and had one or two discussions with the locals where they complained about their government without looking over their shoulder. Incidentally, the Russian people are about as nice as they come, and they LOVE Americans. Now if only they could get their government under control ....
jho@ihuxn.UUCP (Yosi Hoshen) (07/17/84)
From Al Globus: >You guys have rather naive ideas about how efficient the Soviet system >is. If you send enough letters a lot will get through. Also, although >the Soviet regime is definitely repressive, it's not quite as bad as RR >would have us believe (although Stalin in the 30's got close). I was there >in 68 and had one or two discussions with the locals where they complained >about their government without looking over their shoulder. Incidentally, >the Russian people are about as nice as they come, and they LOVE Americans. >Now if only they could get their government under control .... I would say you have been duped. There are some westerners who seem to loose their eye sight, when they visit the USSR. I have met a number of Russian immigrants. They tell me quite a different story. You have to be very careful with your tongue in the USSR. If you don't, you may find yourself sent to the Gulag for 15 years. Incidentally, you say, you were in Russia in 1968. Did you use this opportunity to travel to Czechoslovakia? Have you been in Prague in 1968? Did you see the Russian tanks role over freedom in the streets of Prague? I shall end this discussion of "freedom in the USSR" with a joke: An American met a Russian. And as usual, an argument started. The argument was centered around the issue which system is more democratic, the Russian or the American. The American said, "The US is more democratic, I can go to the White House and yell, "Reagan is an idiot and a fool, and nobody will bother or stop me" To this the Russian replied, "Big deal, I can can go to the Kremlin and yell, "Reagan is an idiot and a fool, and nobody will bother or stop me" -- Yosi Hoshen Bell Laboratories Naperville, Illinois (312)-979-7321 Mail: ihnp4!ihuxn!jho
jacob@hpfclo.UUCP (jacob) (07/18/84)
If you think that your letters will help the American-loving Russian
people to "get their government under control," by all means write them. I
would suggest, though, that you get a lot of patience, ink, paper, etc.
Maybe about 400 years' worth.
May I make a practical suggestion? Send those letters to those
people who *don't* "just love Americans," because you are putting them in
(indirect) danger. I know people there who are afraid to get letters from
their relatives. I also know some who will be on valium for a week after
receiving a letter from a piece movement (foreign *or* domestic).
Jacob Gore
HP Fort Collins (not representing views of the management, etc., etc.)
and/or Northwestern U. Comp. Sci. Res. Lab (ditto)
ihnp4!hpfcla!jacob
P.S. By the way, those people that you talked to in '68, did they speek
English pretty well (or did you talk to them in Russian)? If they
did, there's at least a 75% chance that they were plants.hgp@houem.UUCP (Howard Page) (07/20/84)
>>>If you think that your Letters for Peace are going to get >>>through the Soviet mail system, then your very naive. Once >>>they get wind of the project, (now that you have told them >>>on the net), they will simply burn your letters. They have >>>a bad habit of opening mail over there, it's legal you see. >>The Soviets may not destroy a letter, if they think it will >>serve Soviet propaganda. They may even publish it. >>-- >You guys have rather naive ideas about how efficient the Soviet system >is. If you send enough letters a lot will get through. Also, although >the Soviet regime is definitely repressive, it's not quite as bad as RR >would have us believe (although Stalin in the 30's got close). I was there >in 68 and had one or two discussions with the locals where they complained >about their government without looking over their shoulder. Incidentally, >the Russian people are about as nice as they come, and they LOVE Americans. >Now if only they could get their government under control .... Yes indeed. Russians are warm wonderful people. Sometimes I think about the fact that, due to the ongoing political and nucular crazyness, many Americans never stop to consider and appreciate many of the finer aspects of the Russian culture, such as the kind of intellectual thinking which was behind Doestiovsky's __The_Brothers_Karmazov__ don't (can't??) consider some the wonderful aspects of the Russan culture.
hgp@houem.UUCP (Howard Page) (07/20/84)
Sorry. Our system went berserk. Here's my entire article: >>>If you think that your Letters for Peace are going to get >>>through the Soviet mail system, then your very naive. Once >>>they get wind of the project, (now that you have told them >>>on the net), they will simply burn your letters. They have >>>a bad habit of opening mail over there, it's legal you see. >>The Soviets may not destroy a letter, if they think it will >>serve Soviet propaganda. They may even publish it. >>-- >You guys have rather naive ideas about how efficient the Soviet system >is. If you send enough letters a lot will get through. Also, although >the Soviet regime is definitely repressive, it's not quite as bad as RR >would have us believe (although Stalin in the 30's got close). I was there >in 68 and had one or two discussions with the locals where they complained >about their government without looking over their shoulder. Incidentally, >the Russian people are about as nice as they come, and they LOVE Americans. >Now if only they could get their government under control .... Yes indeed. Russians are warm wonderful people. Sometimes I think about the fact that, due to the ongoing political and nuclear crazyness, many Americans never stop to consider and appreciate many of the finer aspects of Russian culture, such as the kind of intellectual thinking which produced books like Dostoevsky's __The_Brothers_Karmazov__. Wanna' end the arms race? First, learn about your adversary. Maybe our schools should teach Russian history and language from grades K-12. Next, wait about 100 years and maybe the Russian's suspiciousness of foreigners will receed. Maybe we should make Russian our national language :-). (You have a better idea?) Would you learn a new language on the possibility it could end the arms race in your grandchildrens' life?? Remember, as opposed to the Sino-Soviet relationship, history is on the side of a non-confrontational Soviet-American relationship. Cheers! Howard G. Page ..!ihnp4!houem!hgp P.S. -please- no flames on how naive I am, ect...
kel@ea.UUCP (07/22/84)
#R:pyuxa:-87200:ea:10100061:000:1270 ea!kel Jul 21 16:28:00 1984 As for that last, I can see why it was posted here instead of net.jokes. I agree with the notion that the russians should be watched, though it no less naive to succumb to 20+ years of American propaganda than to college level exposure to communist or Soviet (not the same thing) propaganda. The contention that, by the ages of 18-22 we "should know better" is patronizing and presumptuous. By the way, while we're busy watching the Russians, who's watching our own government? Governments always, to a lesser or greater degree, keep secrets and hoard power from the governed. It is more our responsibility to maintain the ethical standards under which we operate than it is to supervise the actions of foreign powers. It is careless to discuss the Soviet Union or, for that matter, any foreign government without remembering that that government is a sovereign power, and that as such, it may be expected to do things we dislike. In other words, when Chernenko lies to me it is to be expected, but when Reagan lies to me I have a duty to stop him (at least before I get offended with Chernenko). I wish T.C. would give equal time to the fascist leanings of our own government as he does to the communist leanings of the S.U. In loss of patience, Ken
mwm@ea.UUCP (07/22/84)
/***** ea:net.politics / kel / 4:28 pm Jul 21, 1984 */ I wish T.C. would give equal time to the fascist leanings of our own government as he does to the communist leanings of the S.U. In loss of patience, Ken /* ---------- */ It seem to me that TC is giving much time to the fascist leanings of the SU, as opposed to the fascist leanings of the US (I seem to remember him picking on the socialist leanings of the US also, but that's another story). The reason for his fascination may be the bigger target. <mike
gap@drutx.UUCP (PetersEA) (07/24/84)
x
I was intrigued by the initial message regarding the Letters for Peace
program, so I wrote for more information. I received a quick, personal
reply. Following are the main parts of the information they provided.
- - - - - - - - - -
YOU CAN HELP STOP THE NUCLEAR ARMS RACE
by sending a LETTER FOR PEACE
to an Ordinary Citizen of the Soviet Union.
Think about it. We Americans and the Russian people have no reason
to hate each other. Especially in this new age of nuclear weapons,
we cannot afford the attitudes that lead to war. Certainly no one
wants the nuclear holocaust that in a matter of minutes could wipe
out the future, turning our beautiful world into a bleak, dead planet.
Despite these realities, the governments of the U.S.A. and the U.S.S.R.
are on a fast-moving collision course of mutual destruction, and
therefore self-destruction. Each side possesses enough targeted
missiles to destroy the world many times over. And many nuclear
weapons are being added to each government's arsenal daily.
You, as an individual American, can take an important step -- right
now -- to stop this madness. You can send a message of peace and
brotherhood to an individual Soviet citizen. If enough of these
letters are sent -- and there are thousands of them already being
sent to cities of the Soviet Union from communities throughout America
-- the governments of both countries will unquestionably be influenced
favorably.
Please read the accompanying English text of our LETTER FOR PEACE. An
instruction sheet and everything you need to send a letter is attached,
including an envelope addressed to a Soviet citizen.
It's as easy as that. All we ask is that you contribute $1.00 or more to
cover our cost of preparing this material.
One of our LETTERS FOR PEACE volunteers will be glad to answer any
questions you may have.
LETTERS FOR PEACE, Inc.
59 Bluff Avenue
Rowayton, CT 06853
(203) 853-8038
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
NEWS RELEASE
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
LETTERS FOR PEACE PUTS AMERICANS
IN TOUCH WITH SOVIET CITIZENS
A grass roots program called Letters for Peace offers Americans a
way to take personal, immediate, purposeful action against the growing
dangers of nuclear holocaust.
The program provides a way for individual Americans to send letters
of concern and friendship to individual Soviet citizens.
Started in the village of Rowayton, Connecticut, as a local effort
in the fall of 1982, Letters for Peace has now spread to some 30
states, and even internationally. In addition to individuals, many
churches, schools, peace organizations, and other groups have gotten
behind the program. Volunteer branch offices of Letters for Peace
have been established in the Midwest and West Coast, with others in
the offing.
According to Richard Conarroe, founder of Letters for Peace, thousands
of copies of a standard letter have been signed and sent by Americans
to individuals in the Soviet Union.
Conarroe, a business consultant and writer, says that to avoid the
possibility of incriminating Soviet recipients, the letters point out
that names and addresses have been picked at random from Soviet
telephone directories.
"So far," says Conarroe, "we have indirect evidence that at least some
of our letters are getting through. Our Soviet experts tell us that
each letter that gets through probably influences an average of 25
pass-along readers."
He says he recognizes that some of the letters may be intercepted by the
KGB, but feels that even these may have a positive impact by making an
impression on the functionaries or government officials who see them.
The standard two-page letter is handwritten in Russian, and in the
Russian idiom. Many senders add a personal message in English at the
end. Some, in an added attempt to encourage a response, enclose a
photo of themselves or their families.
The letter says in part: "I am writing because I am aware of the
frightening danger of deadly combat between our countries. We
Americans do not want to cause you any harm and we believe that you,
too, do not want this. But the thousands of nuclear warheads aimed
at each other can cause the suffering of people and the devastation
not only of the USSR and the USA but of all our earth, which is so
beautiful.
"For the sake of our children and the future of humankind we and you
must try to find a way to prevent a fatal mistake by either side.
"The rulers of our governments are searching for ways to lessen the
danger of nuclear war, and we hope that we can help those efforts by
extending our hands to one another as a sign of our struggle for
nuclear disarmament.
"We Americans love life no less than you Russians. Please accept this
letter as an expression of our hope for the establishment of heartfelt
and fraternal relations between our peoples."
Those wishing to send a Letter for Peace receive a packet consisting of
a description of the program's purpose, an instruction sheet, a literal
English translation of the letter, a copy of the Russian letter to be
sent, an envelope pre-addressed in handwriting to a Soviet individual,
and a card to return to the Letters for Peace office as notification
that the letter was sent.
"It's all very simple," says Conarroe. "All the sender has to do is
sign the letter, put it in the envelope, add postage, and drop it in
the mail."
Some senders, he says, use registered mail to protect against the
possibility of non-delivery. He says that as far as he knows, no
letters have been returned as non-deliverable.
Conarroe and his volunteers will send Letters for Peace packets to
anyone asking for them. A contribution of $1 per packet is requested
to help cover costs of materials, printing, addressing, postage, and
so on. A minimum of ten packets per request can be handled. Some
organizations request several hundred packets at a time.
Conarroe says he is presently working out details of a plan to have
individually signed letters hand delivered in Moscow and other major
cities by Americans traveling to the USSR. The letters will be turned
over to peace activists in the Soviet Union who will in turn hand
deliver them to individuals and families. Conarroe says he thinks
this method will help overcome reluctance of the Soviets to write
letters of response to their American correspondents.
For further details and to order letter packets, write to
Letters for Peace, 59 Bluff Avenue, Rowayton, CT 06853.
Telephone: 203-853-8038.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
EXCERPTS FROM RESPONSES TO "LETTERS FOR PEACE"
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
From Moscow to Murdock, Kansas:
"I think that although we are not 'The Powers that be,' still we can
contribute to the Cause of Peace. And the way for us to do this is,
I think, to set friendly ties between Russian and American people....
My friends went kneeling to ask me to ask you if you or your friends
would like to correspond with them."
From Moscow to Austin, Texas:
"I regard war between our countries as something that should never happen.
We, the Russian people who lost in the Second World War 20 million lives,
including my father, are fully aware of that. I remain your faithful
friend from the USSR."
From Leningrad to Wichita, Kansas:
"I have received today yours letters. Thank you very much. I very
interested friendly correspondence in beautiful country America.
Welcome to Leningrad!!!"
From Kiev to Wilton, Connecticut:
"Thank you for your letter. It was an unexpected surprise for us. Our
family has always been for peace and friendship among people. In both
languages it means the same: 'We are for peace and friendship.' "
From Moscow to Murdock, Kansas:
"First of all, I want to say that I am very glad to have a pen-pal in
USA, that I am awfully willing to correspond with you and that I deeply
believe our correspondence to be a contribution (though humble rather)
to the Cause of Universal Peace."
From Latvia to Ann Arbor, Michigan:
"I am sure that each man in our country and also in yours must be
against the war. If it will happen now, it will not be a winner.
The whole earth will be destroyed and I don't believe that somewhere
will remain happy peoples. Our both countries are the strongest and
nobody must forget it. We must not fight one against the other. We
must live in peace."
From Leningrad to Ann Arbor, Michigan:
"We are Soviet people, our people in WWII lost over 20 million. I a
Stalingrader and personally saw all the horrors of war and my family
suffered losses in that terrible war. We Soviet people, people of
good will of the entire world, are struggling for peace, for peaceful
coexistence and good relations."
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
My first two letters are going out in today's mail.
Gene Peters
..!ihnp4!drutx!gapwmartin@brl-tgr.ARPA (Will Martin ) (07/25/84)
Regarding mail getting thru the Soviet system: Some months ago, there was a posting about an Italian guy who made about $20K a year by using the international mails to legally extract money from the Soviet government. He would send letters to prominent Soviet dissidents, each of which was insured for the maximum allowable amount (~$400). The Soviets, of course, never delivered these letters. Somehow, he was able to prove non-delivery (the posting never stated how this was done), and collect the insurance from the Italian postal system, which, in turn, collected the money from the Soviets thru the internation postal organization. So INSURE your "Letters for Peace" and make money on the deal! Has anyone on the net been inspired by this info and actually DONE this? It sounds like a delightful and simple method to become rich for essentially no investment and little effort. I haven't tried it, I guess out of sheer laziness. As soon as it becomes common, the USSR will either simply drop out of the postal organization or refuse insured mail, of course, but it seems a good way to get at them in the short run. Will