Raytheon - Tucson

Three Tucson anti-war activists, inspired by Dr. King, were arrested Monday afternoon, January 17, after Raytheon missile plant managers again refused to talk to them about possible corporate involvement in war crimes.

Patricia Birnie, Jack Cohen-Joppa, and Betty Schroeder of the Raytheon Peacemakers group, told plant security officers and receptionists that the matter at hand was too urgent to be dismissed, and they would patiently wait until a meeting with senior management could be arranged. Two earlier written requests for such a dialogue had been refused by Raytheon managers.

The three were arrested and taken to jail, where they were booked for misdemeanor trespass, then released pending a bench trial May 17 in Pima County court.

The three left behind a notice for Raytheon senior management that explained, "We are here in good faith to uphold our moral duty and a legal duty, under the Nuremberg principles established at the conclusion of World War II, to give notice in person to the management of Raytheon -Tucson about their complicity [in war crimes]; to listen to their reply; and to dialogue about possible solutions to the problem."

The notice explains that Tomahawk cruise missiles made at the Tucson plant have been used for deliberate military attacks against Sudan, Afghanistan, Iraq, and Yugoslavia that target essential services that civilian populations depend upon - in clear violation of international law. Furthermore, "International law also holds individuals and corporations liable for supplying governments with weapons that are used to commit war crimes and crimes against humanity."