The A111erican Sea111an Is he an endangered species like the bowhead whale? For many years our U.S. State Department has been energetically and commendably engaged in giving the oceans back to the whales. F or many more decades, however, our foreign policy makers have ignored another rare and dwindling species, the American seaman. They have, in fact , actively contributed to his wholesale disappearance. Successive U.S. Administrations have continued to sanction and encourage major American oil companies and corporations to flee the American flag and operate their ships under the shabby legalism of "flags of convenience." This "runaway" flag fleet now numbers 481 ships, whose massive tonnage dwarfs the legitimate U.S. flag merchant marine. Unfortunately, the American citizen on Main Street is not informed that this policy has brought us to the incr edible point of now allowing foreign ships to carry 97% of our vital import t rade and 98% of our critical and strategic raw materials without which our factories and armed forces cannot survive in a world hovering at the flashpoint of war . It is our belief that given the facts the American people would favor a radical change of outworn policies such as this. So far, powerful multinational lobbies have blocked President Reagan's Eight Point Maritime Program, which pledged to reverse the longstanding and foolhardy disregard of the role of seapower in our country's future. NMU invites all ship lovers and all Americans to join with us in the continuing endeavor to keep t he seafaring tradition, the skills and t he way of life that are so basic a part of t his nation's history flourishing under our own American flag.
National Maritime Union Shannon J. Wall , President Thomas Martinez, Secretary-Treasurer National Headquarters: 346 West 17 Street, New York NY 1001 1 • (2 12) 620-5700