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Dear Ed Weissman--
I signed the National Academy of Sciences Affirmation of Freedom of Inquiry and Expression [below] almost 26 years ago. I am hoping that its principles will be incorporated into the policy statement you are constructing for the Cornell University arXiv.
The President of The American Physical Society received a letter from the Foreign Secretary of the National Academy of Sciences inviting the attention of the officers and members of The American Physical Society to the resolution of the National Academy of Sciences entitled "An Affirmation of Freedom of Inquiry and Expression," which was passed by the members of the Academy at its annual meeting on 26 April 1976. The Executive Committee directed that this resolution be included with this ballot to allow those APS members who would like to personally support the NAS resolution to do so by signing the resolution and returning the signed resolution to The American Physical Society for transmittal to the Commission on International Relations of the National Academy of Sciences. If you would like to personally support this resolution, please sign the form below and include it in the return envelope.
AN AFFIRMATION OF FREEDOM OF INQUIRY AND EXPRESSION
I hereby affirm my dedication to the following principles:
. . . That the search for knowledge and understanding of the physical universe and of the living things that inhabit it should be conducted under conditions of intellectual freedom, without religious, political or ideological restriction.
. . . That all discoveries and ideas should be disseminated and may be challenged without such restriction.
. . . That freedom of inquiry and dissemination of ideas require that those so engaged be free to search where their inquiry leads, free to travel and free to publish their findings without political censorship and without fear of retribution in consequence of unpopularity of their conclusions. Those who challenge existing theory must he protected from retaliatory reactions.
. . . That freedom of inquiry and expression is fostered by personal freedom of those who inquire and challenge, seek and discover.
. . . That the preservation and extension of personal freedom are dependent on all of us, individually and collectively, supporting and working for application of the principles enunciated in the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights and upholding a universal belief in the worth and dignity of each human being.
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| [ ] | I would prefer, for personal reasons, that my name not be made public as a signer of this document. |
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