Dear fellow member of the American Physical Society:

Well, Eli is a member, tho he don't want to be a fellow to any of the undersigned. However, as tragedy repeats itself as farce, the good worthies Austin, Lewis, Happer, Gould and Cohen are trolling the following

This is a matter of great importance to the integrity of the Society. It is being sent to a random fraction of the membership, so we hope you will pass it on.

By now everyone has heard of what has come to be known as ClimateGate, which was and is an international scientific fraud, the worst any of us have seen in our cumulative 223 years of APS membership. For those who have missed the news we recommend the excellent summary article by Richard Lindzen in the November 30 edition of the Wall Street journal, entitled "The Climate Science isn't Settled," for a balanced account of the situation. It was written by a scientist of unquestioned authority and integrity. A copy can be found among the items at http://www.openletter-globalwarming.info/Site/open_letter.html, and a visit to http://www.ClimateDepot.com can fill in the details of the scandal, while adding spice.

What has this to do with APS? In 2007 the APS Council adopted a Statement on global warming (also reproduced at the tinyurl site mentioned above) that was based largely on the scientific work that is now revealed to have been corrupted. (The principals in this escapade have not denied what they did, but have sought to dismiss it by saying that it is normal practice among scientists. You know and we know that that is simply untrue. Physicists are not expected to cheat.)

We have asked the APS management to put the 2007 Statement on ice until the extent to which it is tainted can be determined, but that has not been done. We have also asked that the membership be consulted on this point, but that too has not been done.

None of us would use corrupted science in our own work, nor would we sign off on a thesis by a student who did so. This is not only a matter of science, it is a matter of integrity, and the integrity of the APS is now at stake. That is why we are taking the unusual step of communicating directly with at least a fraction of the membership.

If you believe that the APS should withdraw a Policy Statement that is based on admittedly corrupted science, and should then undertake to clarify the real state of the art in the best tradition of a learned society, please send a note to the incoming President of the APS, with the single word YES in the subject line. That will make it easier for him to count.

Bob Austin, Professor of Physics, Princeton
Hal Lewis, emeritus Professor of Physics, University of California, Santa Barbara
Will Happer, Professor of Physics, Princeton
Larry Gould, Professor of Physics, Hartford
Roger Cohen, former Manager, Strategic Planning, ExxonMobil

Eli suggests fellow members might send the following, or something like it

I unequivocally support the 2007 APS Statement on Climate Change. In fact, in view of scientific evidence published in the two years since the statement was released, I believe that the statement should be strengthened.

We understand that a some members of the Society, lead by Prof. Robert Austin are again trying to impose their mistaken views about climate change on the Society. We note that they are circularizing members asking for support.

Many statements in the letter from Prof. Austin and his colleagues are misleading, argumentative and simply wrong. The STOLEN correspondence that they point to does not contain evidence of fraud. Their statements verge on libel. There are intemperate and sarcastic passages, but who among us has not written such. The letter sentby Prof. Austin and colleagues is as intemperate as any that he rails against.

The scientific work of the CRU and their colleagues has NOT been corrupted, but much of the scientific work on which Prof. Austin and colleagues rely, including that of Prof. Lindzen has been proven wrong (see the chimeral iris effect, or comments on a recent paper by Lindzen and Choi for example). Prof. Lindzen is a well known and long time partisan against taking action on climate change who has frequently published opinion articles, including others in the Wall Street Journal. Climate Depot is a site set up by Marc Morano, a former employee of Sen. Inhofe, for the sole purpose of opposing action on climate change and vilifying scientists whose work demonstrates the dangers of climate change.

While we do not know everything about climate, we do know more than enough to realize that significant action must be taken now. We agree with the APS Policy Statement on Climate Change and support policies and actions that will reduce the emission of greenhouse gases.

You can, of course, add, or subtract, or even oppose Eli's suggestion. If you support the APS Policy Statement on Climate Change, Eli suggests you use the Subject Line: Support APS Climate Change Statement in your letter to the incoming President of the APS ccallan with the additional princeton edu (there are harvesters hereabouts as was pointed out). It might help if those attacked by Mssrs. Austin, Happer, Lewis, Gould and Cohen write under separate cover in more detail. It would, perhaps, not be wise to ask Prof. Callan to look at the information at http://www.DenialDepot.com on the CRU matter.

Comments?