WHEREAS, full-scale war would cause the loss of hundreds of millions of lives and the destruction of all major cities in the countries involved — perhaps the entire northern hemisphere; and

WHEREAS, there is presently no real defense against nuclear attack; and

WHEREAS, such a war can be suddenly, accidentally and unintentionally precipitated; and

WHEREAS, the nuclear arsenals of both the United States and the Soviet Union have the capacity to destroy all human life many times over; and

WHEREAS, the relative nuclear strengths of the United States and the Soviet Union are sufficiently equivalent that neither nation would gain an overwhelming advantage from a nuclear freeze; and

WHEREAS, the development of new weapons, ostensibly for purely defensive purposes, destabilized the precarious balance of threat and deterrence, thereby escalating both further technological competition and the likelihood of war; and

WHEREAS, adequate methods exist for monitoring compliance with nuclear treaties, i.e., it is possible to monitor certain gross strategic weapons treaty violations by overt means and by use of limited International Inspection Teams, and clandestine operations now employed by both sides can detect gross tactical weapons treaty violations; and

WHEREAS, a freeze on testing, production and deployment of nuclear weapons could release tax funds and scientific talent for pursuit of projects to improve the global human condition;

BE IT RESOLVED: That the 1983 General Assembly of the Unitarian Universalist Association, prompted by study of the basic facts, as nearly as they can be ascertained by civilians — foreign and domestic propaganda notwithstanding — recommends that the intent of Senate Joint Resolution 2 be adopted by the US government as official policy:

"As an immediate arms control objective, the United States and the Soviet Union should pursue a complete halt to the nuclear arms race; decide when and how to achieve a mutual and verifiable freeze on the testing, production, and further deployment of nuclear warheads, missiles and other delivery systems; and give special attention to destabilizing weapons whose deployment would make such a freeze more difficult to achieve. Proceeding from this freeze, the United States and the Soviet Union should pursue major, mutual and verifiable reductions in nuclear warheads, missiles and other delivery systems, through annual percentages of equally effective means, in a manner that enhances stability."

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED: That this Assembly asks members of its local societies to work for the adoption of this measure and to cooperate with leaders and members of other denominations and faiths as follows;

1. Continue education on the issue of the nuclear arms race;
2. Encourage citizen action, including witness, to members of Congress through letters, phone calls, visits and working in the community to achieve freeze endorsements.