Dear Member of Congress:

We are writing to inform you about the Iraq Study Group, a bipartisan effort that we are co-chairing, and to advise you of our plans for congressional consultation.

The Iraq Study Group was formed at the urging of members of Congress, and announced on Capitol Hill with broad bipartisan backing on March 15. The Administration welcomes this effort, and has agreed to cooperate with it. We are joined on the Study Group by eight prominent Americans: Robert M. Gates, Rudolph W. Giuliani, Vernon E. Jordan, Jr., Sandra Day O’Connor, Leon E. Panetta, William J. Perry, Charles S. Robb, and Alan K. Simpson. Our work is being funded through the United States Institute of Peace, and will be assisted by it, the Center for Strategic and International Studies, the Center for the Study of the Presidency, and the James A. Baker III Institute for Public Policy.

Our purpose is to look forward, not to revisit past debates. We will assess the current situation in Iraq, and seek to develop insights and advice that might be of interest to the Administration and Congress, and thereby beneficial to the country. We will consult widely inside and outside of government. Our aim is to draw on bipartisan voices and to seek a bipartisan consensus. We have no illusions that this will be easy, but we feel strongly that Republicans and Democrats can and must strive to come together to move our country forward on this enormous challenge.

The first meeting of the Iraq Study Group will be held on April 11. We have completed the process of organizing working groups comprised of prominent experts who will be supporting our efforts, as well as a senior panel of retired military general officers. We will conduct our study in the months ahead largely in private, though we do not rule out issuing interim reports or holding public meetings. We have not set a deadline for completion of our work, recognizing in part the fluidity of the situation in Iraq, but we will work expeditiously, and anticipate reporting to the Congress, the President, and the American people within a year.

Consultation with the Congress is a vital component of our work. We know there is broad interest and expertise on Iraq on both sides of the aisle, and we want to draw on that resource. We welcome any written comment or material that you would like to forward to our attention; you can contact us through Anne Hingeley of the United States Institute of Peace at 202-429-4175 or iraqstudygroup@usip.org. As we move forward, we may seek informal or formal meetings with members of Congress – particularly those who have traveled to Iraq or taken a particular interest in this issue.

We start our work with open minds and a firm commitment to work together on a significant challenge for our country, and we look forward to consulting with you in the months ahead.

Sincerely yours,

James A. Baker III
Co-Chair

Lee H. Hamilton
Co-Chair