July 7, 2016
Republican National Committee
310 First Street SE
Washington, DC 20003
To the Members of the Republican Platform Committee:
As retired military leaders of the U.S. Armed Forces, we committed our professional lives to
defending the national security of the United States and to upholding the Constitution. We write to
urge you to include in the 2016 Republican Party platform a plank unequivocally rejecting the use
of torture and other official cruelty in the treatment of prisoners.
This is not, and should not be, a partisan issue. Last year, Congress—with an overwhelming bipartisan vote that included the support of the Republican and Democratic leaders of the Senate
armed services, intelligence, homeland security, foreign affairs, and judiciary committees—passed
an amendment solidifying the ban on torture by restricting all military and intelligence interrogators
to the approaches outlined in the Army Field Manual on Human Intelligence Collector Operations
(FM 2-22.3). Waterboarding and other so-called “enhanced interrogation techniques” are also
prohibited by the Geneva Conventions and other sources of international law, and therefore are not
lawful or appropriate to use in the fight against terrorism.
We have diverse political affiliations and opinions, but we are in firm and unanimous agreement
that the United States is strongest when it remains faithful to its core values. We are asking the
platform committees of both major parties to send a clear message that the next President of the
United States will uphold our obligations under international and domestic law, and reaffirm the
United States’ long-standing and proper role as a world leader on human rights.
Sincerely,
GENERAL JOHN R. ALLEN , US MC (RET.)
GENERAL PAUL J. KERN , US A (RET.)
GENERAL DAVID M. MADDOX, US A (RET.)
GENERAL MERRILL A. MC PEAK, US AF (RET.)
GENERAL WILLIAM G. T. TUTTLE JR ., US A (RET.)
LIEUTENANT GENERAL JOHN CASTELLAW, US MC (RET.)
LIEUTENANT GENERAL WALLACE C. GREG SON , US MC
(RIEUTENANT
ET.)
L
GENERAL HENRY J. HATCH, US A (RET.)
LIEUTENANT GENERAL BRADLEY C. HOSMER , US AF (RET.)
LIEUTENANT GENERAL RICHARD L. KELLY, US MC (RET.)
VICE ADMIRAL CONRAD C. LAUTENB ACHER , JR . US N (RET.)
LIEUTENANT GENERAL GARY L. PARKS, US MC (RET.)
VICE ADMIRAL JOSEPH A. S ESTAK, JR ., US N (RET.)
LIEUTENANT GENERAL KEITH J. S TALDER , US MC (RET.)
MAJOR GENERAL JUAN G. AYALA , US MC (RET.)
MAJOR GENERAL C HRISTOPHER CORTEZ, US MC (RET.)
MAJOR GENERAL EUG ENE FOX, US A (RET.)
MAJOR GENERAL JERRY C. HARRISON , US A (RET.)
MAJOR GENERAL C ARL B. JENSEN , US MC (RET.)
MAJOR GENERAL MICHAEL R. LEHNERT, US MC (RET.)
GENERAL CARLTON W. FULFORD JR ., US MC (RET.)
GENERAL CHARLES C. KRULAK, US MC (RET.)
GENERAL BARRY MC CAFFREY, US A (RET.)
ADMIRAL JAMES G. S TAVRIDIS, US N (RET.)
VICE ADMIRAL RICHARD H. CARMONA , US PHS (RET.)
LIEUTENANT GENERAL ROB ERT G. GARD, JR ., US A (RET.)
VICE ADMIRAL LEE F. GUNN , US N (RET.)
LIEUTENANT GENERAL MARK P. HERTLING , US A (RET.)
LIEUTENANT GENERAL S TEVEN A. HUMMER , US MC (RET.)
LIEUTENANT GENERAL CLAUDIA J. KENNEDY, US A (RET.)
LIEUTENANT GENERAL CHARLES O TSTOTT, US A (RET.)
LIEUTENANT GENERAL NORMAN R. S EIP, US AF (RET.)
LIEUTENANT GENERAL HARRY E. S OYSTER , US A (RET.)
LIEUTENANT GENERAL WILLIE J. WILLIAMS, US MC (RET.)
MAJOR GENERAL JOHN BATISTE, US A (RET.)
MAJOR GENERAL PAUL D. EATON , US A (RET.)
REAR ADMIRAL DON GUTER , JAGC, US N (RET.)
REAR ADMIRAL JOHN D. HUTSON , JAGC, US N (RET.)
MAJOR GENERAL THOMAS S . JONES, US MC (RET.)
MAJOR GENERAL J. MICHAEL MYATT, US MC (RET.)
MAJOR GENERAL WILLIAM L. NASH, US A (RET.)
MAJOR GENERAL THOMAS J. ROMIG , US A (RET.)
MAJOR GENERAL ANTONIO M. TAG UB A , US A (RET.)
BRIG ADIER GENERAL JOHN ADAMS, US A (RET.)
BRIG ADIER GENERAL S TEPHEN A. C HENEY, US MC (RET.)
BRIG ADIER GENERAL THOMAS V. D RAUDE, US MC (RET.)
BRIG ADIER GENERAL ALAN K. FRY, US A (RET.)
BRIG ADIER GENERAL LEIF H. HENDRICKSON , US MC (RET.)
BRIG ADIER GENERAL JOHN H. JOHNS, US A (RET.)
REAR ADMIRAL PAUL J. RYAN , US N (RET.)
BRIG ADIER GENERAL DANIEL P. WOODWARD, US AF (RET.)
MAJOR GENERAL ERIC T. O LSON , US A (RET.)
MAJOR GENERAL WALTER L. S TEWART, JR ., US A (RET.)
MAJOR GENERAL MARG ARET WOODWARD, US AF (RET.)
BRIG ADIER GENERAL DAVID M. BRAHMS, US MC (RET.)
BRIG ADIER GENERAL JAMES P. CULLEN , US A (RET.)
BRIG ADIER GENERAL EVELYN P. FOOTE, US A (RET.)
BRIG ADIER GENERAL GERALD E. GALLOWAY, US A (RET.)
BRIG ADIER GENERAL DAVID R. IRVINE, US A (RET.)
BRIG ADIER GENERAL RICHARD O’MEARA , US A (RET.)
BRIG ADIER GENERAL MURRAY G. S AG SVEEN , US A (RET.)
BRIG ADIER GENERAL S TEPHEN N. XENAKIS, US A (RET.)