WORLD AT RISK: Letters of Transmittal, Preface, Executive Summary

Part Title/fm-bm head

December 2, 2008The Honorable George W. BushPresident of the United States Washington, D.C. 20500Dear Mr. President:In accordance with the Implementing Recommendations of the 9/11Commission Act of 2007 (P.L. 110-53), we hereby submit the report of the Commission on the Prevention of Weapons of Mass DestructionProliferation and Terrorism.The mandate given to this Commission by Congress was far-reaching. We were given a charter to assess, within 180 days, any and allof the nation’s activities, initiatives, and programs to prevent weapons of mass destruction proliferation and terrorism. We were also asked to provide concrete recommendations—a road map, if you will—to addressthese threats.In response, we brought together a staff of more than two dozenprofessionals and subject matter experts from across the national secu-rity, intelligence, and law enforcement communities. We interviewedmore than 250 government ofﬁcials and nongovernmental experts. Weheld eight major commission meetings and one public hearing.Our research encompassed travel from the Sandia National Labora-tory in New Mexico to London to Vienna. We traveled to Moscow toassess U.S. nuclear cooperation initiatives with Russia. We were enroute to Pakistan, a country of particular interest to this Commission andto the United States, only to hear that the bombing of the Marriott Hotelin Islamabad had occurred. We had been hours from staying in that very hotel.Ultimately, we opted to center the Commission ﬁndings on severalareas where the risks to the United States are increasing: the crossroads

Part Title/fm-bm head

of terrorism and proliferation in the poorly governed parts of Pakistan,the prevention of biological and nuclear terrorism, and the potentialerosion of international nuclear security, treaties, and norms as we entera nuclear energy renaissance.The intent of this report is neither to frighten nor to reassure theAmerican people about the current state of terrorism and weapons of mass destruction. It is to underscore that the U.S. government has yet tofully adapt to these circumstances, and to convey the sobering reality that the risks are growing faster than our multilayered defenses. Ourmargin of safety is shrinking, not growing. We thank you for the honor of allowing us to serve our country inthis task. Our Commission and staff stand ready to help you in any way possible to explore and weigh the ﬁndings and recommendations con-tained in this report.Respectfully submitted,Senator Bob GrahamSenator Jim TalentChairmanVice-ChairmanDr. Graham T. AllisonMs. Robin ClevelandMr. Stephen G. Rademaker The Honorable Timothy J. RoemerAmbassador Wendy R. ShermanMr. Henry D. SokolskiMr. Richard Verma

December 2, 2008The Honorable Nancy PelosiThe Honorable John A. BoehnerUnited States House of RepresentativesUnited States House of Representatives235 Cannon House Office Building 1011 Longworth House Office Building Washington, D.C. 20515Washington, D.C. 20515The Honorable Harry ReidThe Honorable Mitch McConnellUnited States SenateUnited States Senate528 Hart Senate Office Building361-A Russell Senate Office Building Washington, D.C. 20510Washington, D.C. 20510Dear Speaker Pelosi, Majority Leader Reid, Minority Leader Boehner, andMinority Leader McConnell:In accordance with the Implementing Recommendations of the 9/11 Com-mission Act of 2007 (P.L. 110-53), we hereby submit the report of the Com-mission on the Prevention of Weapons of Mass Destruction Proliferation andTerrorism.The mandate given to this Commission by Congress was far-reaching. Wewere given a charter to assess, within 180 days, any and all of thenation’sactivities, initiatives, and programs to prevent weapons of mass des-truction proliferation and terrorism. We were also asked to provide concreterecommendations—a road map, if you will—to address these threats.In response, we brought together a staff of more than two dozen profes-sionals and subject matter experts from across the national security, intelli-gence, and law enforcement communities. We interviewed more than 250government officials and nongovernmental experts. We held eight major com-mission meetings and one public hearing.Our research encompassed travel from the Sandia National Laboratory inNew Mexico to London to Vienna. We traveled to Moscow to assess U.S.nuclear cooperation initiatives with Russia. We were en route to Pakistan, acountry of particular interest to this Commission and to the United States,

Part Title/fm-bm head