The Atlantic Council today released an open letter, signed by thirteen former Secretaries of State, Secretaries of Defense, and National Security Advisors, making a strong geopolitical case for the United Kingdom to remain in the European Union. 

While stressing that the issue is one for British citizens to decide in their June 23 referendum, these top US leaders wrote: “We are concerned that should the UK choose to leave the European Union, the UK’s place and influence in the world would be diminished and Europe would be dangerously weakened.”

The letter was signed by former Secretaries of State Madeleine Albright and George Shultz; former Secretaries of Defense William Cohen, Robert Gates, Frank Carlucci, Leon Panetta and William Perry; and former National Security Advisors Richard Allen, Zbigniew Brzezinski, Tom Donilon, Stephen Hadley, James Jones and Brent Scowcroft.

In a video message accompanying the letter, Secretary Albright said, “the key message is how important it is to the world and to the United States that the United Kingdom remain in the European Union…it is the basis of how we need to operate in the twenty-first century. The EU has been a force for good. It is a stabilizing factor in itself.”

The Atlantic Council will host a public discussion around the letter on May 11 at 9:00 a.m. EST with former National Security Advisors Tom Donilon and Stephen Hadley. The Council will continue to program around the issue ahead of the June 23 referendum, focusing on the implications this decision holds for Europe’s stability and thus for US interests. 

Please email press@AtlanticCouncil.org for more information about this upcoming event and click here to RSVP.