December 11, 1979 Rep. Edward Jackamonis -Speaker of the State Assembly Prof. Gordon Baldwin - University of Wisoonsin Law School Kwame Salter - Madison School Board Larry Olson - Madison City Council Mrs. Jean Stewart - Madison City Council Warren Onken - Madison City Council Carroll Metzner - Madison Attorney J. Timothy Gratz - Madison Attorney John Okey - Madison businessman Dan Neviaser - President, Howard Johnson Motor Lodges Collins Ferris - President, United Bank and Trust Art Zoellner - Chairman, Republican Party of Dane County William Hall - President, Xer-lith Duplicating Service, Inc. Dear Friend: At the December 9 Sunday meeting of the Prairie Unitarian Universalist Society, those members in attendance discussed your invitation to participate in a public gathering on December 13 to pray and demonstrate support for the American hostages in Iran. We share your concern for the safety and welfare of the hostages and your desire for their speedy release. We believe, however, that to express concern for the hostages by ringing church bells, wearing white arm bands, flying the flag and participating in mass rallies is to take a simplistic approach to a complex problem, and that it may tend to create a war psychology. We are aware that in this city Iranians and people who are thought to resemble Iranians have been attacked. Public prayer meetings such as you have proposed could well lead to further anti-Iranian demonstrations and counter-demonstrations in Madison. We state once more that we too seek the speedy release of the American hostages; but we state, with equal force, that we support full public discussion of the situation, including the responsibility that our government should perhaps bear for helping provoke the events in Iran. We urge our government to continue to use peaceful methods of negotiation, and to take no violent actions towards Iran before or after the release of the hostages. As Americans, we care not just for our own prestige and influence but for the welfare of all the peoples of the world. We would not lose sight of that in our concern for the hostages. Our lack of understanding of Islamic culture, we believe, should be met with learning rather that closed minds and violence, and we urge our fellow-citizens to treat Iranians in our midst with the respect with which we have traditionally treated visitors from other countries. Mob action and official retribution against Iranians in America are no more desirable than mob action and official retribution against Americans in Iran. As members of a religious society, we reject both. Sincerely, Rachel Siegfried & Barbara Steinau, Co-chairs, Social Action Committee Eileen Nettleton, President Al Nettleton Shirley & John Grindrod Beryl Gordon Julie & Dick Bonser Mike & Norma Briggs Alice & Lee Bullen Pat Watkins Bob Park Warren Hagstrom Linda Shaldach Holly Loring Joan Hall Roland Sarko

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