Outreach letter for ally organizations

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Your Name

Your Address

Your Apt. #

Yourcity, ST 00000

[Mr./Mrs.] Contact Name

Organization Title

Org Address1

Org Address 2

City, ST 00000

Dear Mr./Mrs. Contact Name:

My name is [Your Name]. I am a resident of City, ST and am writing to ask your organization to support US Army Private First Class Bradley E. Manning, who is currently being held at the US Marine Corps Brig Quantico, VA, awaiting an Article 32.

A 22-year-old intelligence analyst, Pfc. Manning faces decades in prison for allegedly leaking a video of a US helicopter attack that killed at least eleven Iraqi civilians to Wikileaks. Among the dead victims were two working Reuters reporters. Two children were also severely wounded in the attack. In addition to this “Collateral Murder” video, Pfc. Manning is suspected of leaking the “Afghan War Diaries”—tens of thousands of battlefield reports that explicitly describe civilian deaths and cover-ups, corrupt officials, collusion with warlords, and a failing US/NATO war effort.

“We only know these crimes took place because insiders blew the whistle at great personal risk … Government whistleblowers are part of a healthy democracy and must be protected from reprisal,” noted Barack Obama while on the campaign trail in 2008. While the President was referring to the Bush Administration’s use of phone companies to illegally spy on Americans,

Pfc. Manning’s alleged actions are just as noteworthy. If the military charges against him are accurate, they show that he had a reasonable belief that war crimes were being covered up, and

that he took action based on a crisis of conscience.

If Pfc. Manning is indeed the source of these materials, the nation owes him our gratitude. However, since the charges, some first brought by the US Army Criminal Investigation Command (CIDC) in June 2010, Pfc. Manning has been held at the Quantico brig in conditions so torturous that they are being investigated by the human rights organization Amnesty International, and have been criticized by a member of the US State Department, assistant secretary of state for public affairs P.J. Crowley.

As an organization known for [cite reasons why you feel this organization would be open to supporting Bradley], I feel that your public support for Pfc. Manning would help shed light on his plight. I would welcome the opportunity to speak to your organization about this matter and join you in such an effort.

I appreciate your time and attention to this letter. More information about Pfc. Manning can be found at the website of the Bradley Manning Support Network (bradleymanning.org).

Most kind regards,