Mr Jan Hommen
Reed Elsevier PLC
1-3 Strand
London
WC2N 5JR

xx February 2007

Dear Mr Hommen

ARMS FAIRS AND ACADEMICS

We are an international group of academics who are extremely concerned
about Reed Elsevier's involvement in organising major arms fairs in the UK
and around the world.

We rely on our academic work to be disseminated chiefly by means of books
and peer-reviewed articles, a significant share of these via Reed Elsevier
publications.   Being both contributors and (unpaid) referees, and readers
of Reed Elsevier journals makes us stakeholders in the Reed Elsevier
business.

On its website your company states that it is “committed to making
genuine contributions to the science and health communities” and that it
is “proud to be part of [these] communities”.  We, however, are not proud
to be associated with Reed Elsevier as we feel your statements are
undermined by the conflict between your arms fair activities and our own
ethical stance.  Arms fairs, marketing the tools of violence, are a major
link in the chain of the global arms trade which proliferates arms around
the world and fuels a cycle of human, economic and environmental destruction.

This is entirely at odds with the ethical and social obligations we have
to promote the beneficial applications of our work and prevent its misuse,
to anticipate and evaluate the possible unintended consequences of
scientific and technological developments, and to consider at all times
the moral responsibility we carry for our work.

We call on Reed Elsevier to cease all involvement in arms fairs since this
involvement is not compatible with our aims as stakeholders.

Yours sincerely