(I received the following by surface mail on December 23, 1995 in response to a phone call I made to Freeport after reading their New York Times advertisements about `truth putting on its shoes'. I have promised Freeport that I would post links to any web pages they send me but have not yet received any. I simply typed in the following text. -- Robert S. Boyer, boyer@cs.utexas.edu.)

(undated)

Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold Inc., 1615 Poydras Street, New Orleans, LA 70112, PO Box 51777 New Orleans, LA 70151, Telephone 504-582-4000.

Thank you for your interest in Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold (FCX). FCX and its P.T. Freeport Indonesia affiliate (PT-FI) are engaged in the exploration, mining and milling of copper, gold and silver in Irian Jaya, Indonesia. We have successfully operated in that province since 1967 and have conducted our business responsibly with respect to the local environment and the people who live there. The recent, unsubstantiated allegations made against our company are all the more disappointing in light of the commitment the company has made to this region and its people.

Human Rights

It is troubling that some media, radical groups and individuals continue to report that Freeport was somehow involved in alleged human rights abuses in Irian Jaya (West Papua). Both the Indonesian National Commission on Human Rights and the Catholic Bishop of Jayapura, Irian Jaya (West Papua) conducted investigations into these allegations. Both concluded that human rights abuses did occur in Irian Jaya (West Papua), but that Freeport was not responsible for these tragic incidents. As Bishop H.F.M. Munninghoff, author of the Catholic Church report, stated recently: "My report is not about Freeport and does not contain accusations regarding Freeport." The Bishop also said "Freeport is not at all involved in these violations of human rights." We have enclosed a copy of the Bishop's statement for you.

We share the outrage at the murders, including the killing of one of our employees by snipers. We support the efforts of the Indonesian government to punish those individuals who may be responsible for these horrible crimes, and we are confident that the government will take the necessary steps to prevent any repetition of these deplorable events.

As stated in our recent New York Times advertisement, false accusations about our company have been spread with the help of U. S. taxpayer dollars. Funds provided by the U. S. Agency for International Development are being used by some foreign interests to damage America's overseas investments. Congress needs to tell USAID and other agencies to stop sending taxpayer money to irresponsible foreign groups determined to cut off economic opportunity.

Sustainable Development

We implement in coordination with the Republic of Indonesia, a comprehensive sustainable development program with individual elements based on the expressed needs of the people of Irian Jaya (West Papua). These programs bring schools to children who otherwise would not have had educational opportunity. They bring health care to remote villages through the construction of clinics, and through company-supported medical visits to remote locations. We are battling malaria in the tropical lowlands, both inside and outside of our operations area. These efforts have helped raise life expectancy, reduce infant mortality and dramatically reduce the incidence of malaria in the region. Economic development initiatives, including business incubators, have provided the capital and training for dozens of local entrepreneurs to start their own businesses. PT-FI has worked to cultivate the well-being of the indigenous people and their future in Irian Jaya (West Papua).

We realize that these complex issues require input from a broad range of perspectives. That is one of the reasons PT-FI helped establish a Social and Cultural Advisory Council. The Council includes four distinguished Indonesians, two of whom are from Irian Jaya (West Papua), who provide expert advice and counsel to PT-FI in the company's efforts to address some of the socio-cultural challenges in Irian Jaya (West Papua).

The Environment

PT-FI maintains a comprehensive environmental program and operates in accordance with Indonesian environmental law and regulations, including extensive monitoring, reclamation, recycling and environmental education programs and a world class environmental laboratory.

These programs minimize the impact of our operations on the environment. A key part of this program is called the ``Tailings and River Management Plan,'' which manages the deposition of the crushed rock, sand, silt and clay (referred to as ``tailings'') that remains after the valuable minerals have been extracted from the mined ore. Freeport has embarked on a multi-million dollar project to control the deposition of this sand in the lowlands. The government of Indonesia has approved this system, which minimizes the impact on the environment. Laboratory tests indicate that the river system containing tailings complies with U. S. EPA drinking water standards for metals. Comprehensive monitoring and analysis shows that biological activity in this area is comparable to that of non-tailings river systems.

Our project is currently undergoing environmental and social audits by two internationally respected consulting firms. The results of these audits will be made available to the public.

In addition to the Bishop's statement, we've enclosed a corporate profile booklet and a series of ``Fast Fact'' sheets.

Again, thank you for your inquiry.

(unsigned)

---

The enclosures were

• Freeport-McMoRan Copper and Gold, 1994 Annual Report, 36 pages.
• "Working Around the Clock," P. T. Freeport Indonesia, 20 pages.
• Statement of the Bishop of Jayapura, which can also be found here, 1 page.
• "Fast Facts," PT. Freeport Indonesia, 8 pages.
• "Reserves total over 1.1 billion tonnes of ore, which contain:
• World's single largest gold reserve over 50 million ounces
• World's 3rd largest copper reserve over 15 million tonnes"

• Socio-economic and cultural programs
• Public health and medical programs
• Training, education and technology transfer
• Tailings management
• Overburden management
• Exploration
• The glaciers

---

See also a letter from Freeport-McMoRan Vice President Tom Egan.