Military and Medical Perspectives

on the Current Nuclear Threat

In an age when terrorists seek to obtain and use weapons of mass destruction,
what role, if any, should nuclear weapons play in our national security
strategy? Colonel Richard Klass (USAF, ret.) of the Center for Arms Control and
Non-Proliferation and Dr. Ira Helfand of Physicians for Social Responsibility
will provide medical and military perspectives on this question and other
nuclear weapons security issues.
Colonel Richard Klass Dr. Ira Helfand

April 5
12:30 PM | Portland, University of Southern Maine | Wishcamper Center Room 133
Co-sponsored by the USM Political Science Department - Free and open to the public

3:30 PM | Lewiston, Bates College | Chase Hall Lounge

Co-sponsored by the Bates Student Philanthropy Club - Free and open to the public

7:30 PM | Brunswick, Curtis Memorial Library

Co-sponsored by the League of Women Voters of the Brunswick Area - Free and open to the public

April 6
12:00 PM | Waterville, The Center | 93 Main Street
Co-sponsored by the Mid-Maine Global Forum -$10 admission includes buffet lunch

3:00 PM | Orono, University of Maine | Little Hall, Room 120

Co-sponsored by the School of Policy & International Affairs - Free and open to the public

A recent TV documentary featured Portland as the site of a nuclear dirty bomb detonation. Top intelligence
officials are certain that terrorists will attempt an attack on the U.S. in the next six months. In an age when
terrorists seek to obtain and use weapons of mass destruction, what role, if any, should nuclear weapons
play in our national security strategy?

Klass and Helfand’s presentation, A Fork in the Road on Nuclear Weapons: Which Path to Security?,
will discuss the potential impact of a nuclear weapons attack, what Cold War nuclear weapons policies
mean in an age of terrorism, and the Obama administration’s diplomatic efforts to curb nuclear
weapons proliferation. Treaties, including the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START) with Russia and
the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty, will be up for Senate ratification in the next year. Maine
Senators Collins and Snowe will have deciding votes.

Colonel Richard Klass served in the U.S. Air
Force for over 22 years, retiring in 1980. His decorations
include the Silver Star, Distinguished Flying Cross, Legion
of Merit, and Purple Heart. Colonel Klass currently serves
as Executive Director for the Veterans’ Alliance for Security
and Democracy (VETPAC). He lives in Arlington, VA.
Ira Helfand, M.D. is a Specialist in Emergency
Medicine in Springfield MA and a co-founder of Physicians for
Social Responsibility (PSR). Dr. Helfand has published widely
on the medical implications of nuclear explosions and has
provided congressional testimony on developing systems to
better respond to medical disasters.

(207) 772-6714 | www.psrmaine.org