Massachusetts. Governor's Advisory Committee on the Impact of the Nuclear Arms Race on Massachusetts

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On April 26, 1985, Governor Michael J. Dukakis issued Executive Order no. 254, which established the Governor's Advisory Committee on the Impact of the Nuclear Arms Race on Massachusetts. The committee was to be comprised of at least fifteen and not more than twenty-five gubernatorial appointees who had demonstrated a "commitment to arms control, a willingness to assist the Commonwealth to better understand the economic and health impact of arms reductions, and an interest in influencing the reallocation of resources towards the employment, education and health needs of Massachusetts communities."

This committee exists to recommend policies and programs to the governor that address the effects of the nuclear arms race on the citizens and the economy of the Commonwealth, particularly in the areas of mental health, public health, education, and economic issues; and generally to further the prevention of nuclear war. Developing proposals on its own initiative or at the request of the governor, the committee may enlist the aid of concerned citizens either as individual consultants or as members of ad hoc working groups chaired by members of the committee. Proposals approved by the full committee are forwarded to the governor.

At present the committee consists of university professors, social scientists, and representatives of organizations such as Physicians for Social Responsibility, Business Executives for National Security, and the Council for a Livable World. In its first report, June 1986, the committee focused on the economic effects of the nuclear arms race and on how to change the mindset of citizens of the Commonwealth towards the Soviet Union. The committee developed the thesis that fear and mistrust of "the enemy" is a root cause of the nuclear arms race.

From the description of Agency history record. (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 145429365

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