In a strong and unprecedented letter to President Clinton, a bipartisan coalition of 24 United States Senators, on June 12, 2000, rebuked Japan for its continued defiance of a worldwide moratorium on whaling and urged the Administration to "strongly oppose Japan's proposal to expand their scientific whale hunts to include Bryde's and sperm whales."

Initiated and organized by Connecticut Senator Joe Lieberman (D), the letter affirmed the Senators' belief that if this issue was not resolved at this year's meeting of the International Whaling Commission in July, at Adelaide, Australia, it is serious enough to warrant joining other nations in "contacting the Japanese government at the highest levels."

Japanese whalers acting under "scientific research" permits currently kill approximately 400 minke whales each year. Despite consistent IWC opposition to scientific whale hunts, Japan this year announced a radical expansion of its "research," adding two new species, sperm and Bryde's whales, which have been protected from killing since 1986.

The sperm whale is Connecticut's official state animal, and Senator Lieberman has long been a staunch supporter of whale protection. On May 3, 1990, Lieberman was the first national political figure to speak out publicly, on the floor of the U.S. Senate, declaring that he wanted to see not just a moratorium on the commercial killing of whales, but "a ban, an end, period; no more killing of the world's whales."

Early in May, CSI Director Emeritus Dr. Robbins Barstow alerted Senator Lieberman to Japan's plan to start killing sperm whales again. Senator Lieberman then asked his staff to review the matter and to communicate with other Senators' offices to build widespread support for a strong U.S. position in opposition to Japan's plan to increase whale killing.

The resulting June 12 letter to the President was signed by 19 Democrats and 5 Republicans, constituting nearly one fourth of the entire United States Senate. Two days later, on June 14, an identical letter was sent to President Clinton signed by all 6 Congressional Representatives (4 Democrats and 2 Republicans) from the "sperm whale state" of Connecticut.

The impact of these Senatorial and Congressional communications is reflected in the action taken by the United States and other countries at the July 2000 IWC meeting in Australia. Japan's new research proposals were roundly criticized by many nations, and two very strongly worded resolutions condemning them were passed by wide majorities.

CSI thanks Lieberman and the other senators and representatives for their effective stand. It may have helped lead Vice-President Al Gore to issue on June 30 the strongest anti-whaling statement ever made by a major presidential candidate. (See copy of Gore's statement below.)

We must continue now, working with governmental agencies and other global Non-Governmental Organizations (NGO's), to carry on the most powerful and unrelenting international crusade we can possibly muster to persuade the Japanese government to give up its unjustifiable scientific whale research program.

Following are the names of the United States Senators and Representatives who signed the letter to President Clinton condemning Japan's renewed whale killing. Please write and commend them, in this election year.

Joe Lieberman (D-CT)
Chris Dodd (D-CT)
Daniel Patrick Moynihan (D-NY)
Ted Kennedy (D-MA)
Charles Robb (D-VA)
Patty Murray (D-WA)
Patrick Leahy (D-VT)
Ernest Hollings (D-SC)
Susan Collins (R-ME)
Jack Reed (D-RI)
Charles Schumer (D-NY)
Olympia Snowe (R-ME)
Harry Reid (D-NV)
Bob Graham (D-FL)
Barbara Boxer (D-CA)
Daniel Akaka (D-HI)
Jim Jeffords (R-VT)
Barbara Mikulski (D-MD)
Tom Harkin (D-IA)
Lincoln Chafee (R-RI)
Bob Smith (R-NH)
Carl Levin (D-MI)
John F. Kerry (D-MA)
Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ)

Connecticut Representatives:
John Larson (D)
Sam Gejdenson (D)
Rosa DeLauro (D)
Chris Shays (R)
James Maloney (D)
Nancy Johnson (R)

The following Statement on Whaling was issued by Al Gore's national campaign headquarters (Nashville, TN 37203) on June 30, 2000: