Citizen Inspections:

A second international inspection in the U.S. was planned for February 26 at the Bangor,Washington submarine base.  A Citizens' Weapons Inspection Team, organized by the Canadian peace group End the Arms Race, traveled from Vancouver, British Columbia, and was led by Canadian Member of Parliament Libby Davies (NDP - Vancouver East) and was composed of nine Canadian community and religious leaders and peace activists.  One stated goal for their action was to "illustrate the paradoxical behavior by nuclear weapons states ... threatening military force to ensure that a Third World Country has no weapons of mass destruction."

The group wrote to the base commander on February 23, announcing their intention to inspect and seeking his cooperation for "a tour of the base and access to all documentation that confirms whether or not weapons of mass destruction or the delivery vehicles of any such weapons are present on the base.  We also request access to inspect any nuclear weapons or their delivery vehicles that may be present at Naval Submarine Base Bangor."

In response to this request, Rear-Admiral William Center telephoned Peter Coombes, president of End the Arms Race, on February 25 and invited the team to take a tour of the facility, which would be guided by a special weapons officer.  Admiral Center further offered the team an inspection of one of the Trident submarines!

However, within hours Admiral Center placed a second telephone call to Coombes withdrawing his invitation, citing a contradictory decision by U.S. Pacific Command in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.

The Canadians were joined by several U.S. peace activists by the time of their arrival at the main gates of Submarine Base Bangor on the afternoon of February 26. The team was accompanied by supporters and a full contingent of local media.They were met by a Navy public relations officer who reiterated the U.S. Navy's decision to refuse to admit the team, adding that the team's mission was not one that the U.S. Government could support.

When questioned about the presence of nuclear weapons at the facility, the officer offered theNavy's official policy of neither confirming nor denying the presence of nuclear weapons.

The activists chose not to risk arrest, and instead took the occasion to post a large sign on the fence at the gate, reading "THIS FACILITY CONTAINS WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION."  In a public report, they based this conclusion on public documents, on the regular observation of submarine and truck movements in and out of the base by local activists, and most recently, on the observation that morning from a chartered plane by some team members of Trident submarines berthed near secured nuclear warhead weapons bunkers.

Peace activists on both sides of the international border are inspired to organize another inspection team, perhaps also to visit the Nanoose Bay in Canada, where U.S. submarines test torpedoes and Tridents practice maneuvers.

For more information contact  End the Arms Race, 405-825 Granville Street, Vancouver, British Columbia V6B 1K9, Canada, (604)687-3223, e-mail: info@peacewire.org

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last updated July 10 1998