Center for Innovative Diplomacy Archive

Office of the Mayor

Burlington Vermont 05401

Bernard Sanders, Mayor

October 26, 1982

As Mayor of the City of Burlington, Vermont, the largest City in our State, I thought it appropriate to inform you that at our Board of Alderman's meeting last night, the Board unanimously rejected our City's participation in any crisis relocation plan involving evacuation of the City as a result of nuclear war. I should point out to you that what is especially significant about this decision is that there are three distinct philosophical groupings on our Board - five Republicans, three Democrats and five Independent/Citizens Party members. Not one member of the Board spoke out or voted for crisis relocation. I am enclosing a copy of the resolution passed.

It seems to me that the major point our City is making is that we believe it to be totally irresponsible to allow people the false hope that they could survive a nuclear war, or that a nuclear war could be "winable". Virtually all of the respectable medical and scientific

evidence indicates that if nuclear war should occur virtually all of the people in our area would be killed, and those that survived might prefer death. As you know there is also the distinct possibility that all out nuclear war could totally destroy all life on this planet.