April 1997

Toxic Terrors:

Should We Ratify the
Chemical Weapons Convention?

In April 1997 the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) came before the U.S. Senate for ratification. The treaty had already been signed by 160 nations (including the U.S., Russia, China, and Iran) and ratified by 70. Negotiated by Presidents Reagan and Bush, the CWC had also been endorsed by President Clinton, the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and the chemical industry, and polls found support from 84 percent of the American public. The CWC had already been signed by 160 nations (including Russia, China and Iran) and ratified by 70, but a powerful minority of Senators threatened its ratification, saying it could not be adequately verified.

The Mainstream Media Project assembled 15 specialists in the field to address the issue, including high-ranking officials from the White House, National Security Council and Arms Control and Disarmament Agency, the president of the Chemical Manufacturers Association, and renowned independent experts. Seventy-two interviews were scheduled and completed in little more than two weeks, including 36 in the three days leading up to the climactic vote.

Guest Speakers

Robert Bell, Special Assistant to the President for National Security/Arms Control

Naila Bolus, Executive Director, Ploughshares Fund

Marie Chevrier, Senior Fellow, Center for Science and International Affairs, Harvard University

Gordon Clark, Executive Director, Peace Action

Leonard Cole, Adjunct Professor, Rutgers University; Author, The Eleventh Plague

Mary Elizabeth Hoinkes, General Counsel, Arms Control and Disarmament Agency (ACDA)

John Holum, Director, Arms Control and Disarmament Agency (ACDA)

Michael Moodie, President, Chemical and Biological Arms Control Institute

Erik Pages, Business Executives for National Security (BENS)

John Parachini, Senior Associate, Henry L. Stimson Center

Amy Smithson, Senior Associate, Henry L. Stimson Center

Paul Walker, Director, Global Green

Michael Walls, General Counsel, Chemical Manufacturers Association (CMA)

Fred Webber, President, Chemical Manufacturers Association (CMA)

Craig Williams, Director, Chemical Weapons Working Group