PUBLIC OPINION NATIONAL SECURITY AND THE INDIVIDUAL

Press, Volume CIV, Issue 30782, 21 June 1965, Page 12

PUBLIC OPINION NATIONAL SECURITY AND THE INDIVIDUAL

(By COLONEL HARVEY C. BROWN. United States Air Force. (Retired.! >

During the locust years just after the Second World War anyone who bothered to keep himself informed must have been aware that yet another sinister conflict was in the making, and that the storm clouds on the European horizon just would not drift away naturally.

Britain, after a glorious military victory, achieved by superb generalship and the moral fibre of her people, was in 1947 utterly fatigued by war—like a champion boxer who had won the decision and retired. France was demoralised and in a state of fiscal and political chaos which the Communists were quick to exploit. The other and smaller European nations, so recently liberated, were attempting to rebuild their shattered economies. In a sentence, Europe could be described as one vast, untidy vacuum. This gave the Kremlin some big ideas, and only a relative handful of people today are acutely aware of how close Soviet Russia came to extending its hegemony to the Atlantic shores. Even in America the most predominant moods were of apathy and reaction against the necessity of facing up to a-new threat. At The Pentagon It was during this period when Winston Churchill made his only post-war visit to the Pentagon. The exhilarating effect of his presence there is impossible to describe, and it resulted in a renewed sense of purpose that extended from the top echelon to the most menial worker as some of the details of his conference filtered downward. Among other things, Churchill on this occasion quoted the following lines. Suddenly the words and the connotation returned the other day when thought was given to the current public opinion on Vietnam.

God and the soldier we adore In time of war. but not before. If it is presumptuous for an American resident of New Zealand to express himself frankly on sensitive internal issues during these times, it is a fact that no aspect of the controversy that exists here over Vietnam appears foreign or unfamiliar —the local protagonists of every shade of opinion have their counterparts in America, and they are very active.

There is nothing basically unhealthy or unnatural about divided opinion, providing freedom under the law is maintained and national security is not threatened. What is of crucial importance, however, is the sense of personal responsibility exercised by the individual, both in America and New Zealand, toward the established decisions of constituted government.

Unfortunately for most of humanity, acceptance of this responsibility requires certain sacrifice and, in times of military conflict, discipline and regimentation. It further requires an acknowledgment of what must be regarded by all citizens as a fact, namely that in matters affecting national

security, the governmental authority has constant access to highly classified information not available to the public. Such information is disseminated to qualified personnel on a “need to know" basis and not on a “nice to know” basis. Crucial Evidence This accessibility to crucial evidence, particularly during periods of military involvement and during phases leading up to it, is basic to an effectual decision-making process. How, in the name of common sense, can the individual, whether his opinion types him as conscientious objector or academic expert, presume to usurp firm evidence that must be privy to his government and its designated public servants? What are the private citizen’s sources of information that give him such confidence and authority? Could it be that he merely starts with preconceived ideas, or that wishful thinking shapes his judgment? Or is he being thoughtconditioned by people who should know better? In this discussion there is no objection being raised to the inquiring mind, or to the search for enlightenment, or to the fundamental right of the individual to think for himself. What is objected to is the creation of mistrust, particularly in the minds of the young (they are our real' Vl.P.s), toward critical decisions, already made, that have been carefully and cautiously considered on the basis of national security. A Communist Asia

To those who say that a Communist Asia would not be a disaster, it is suggested that they look at a map. The vast land masses and ocean littorals thus dominated and possessed would curve like a scimitar towards New Zealand, cutting off Australasia

from the northern friendly nations. Present defence pacts would be in shreds, and the manoeuvrabiliy and flexibility of United States’ protective military power would vanish. If the uncommitted mind, young or old. is seriously considering following the “Communist Asia” leadership, it is urged that he examine where the road will probably go, how far the traveller is from the ditch, and who those fellows are who are cheering him on from the drains.

If the youthful mind, truly seeking to identify and arrange historical facts, is an honest mind, it must be willing and resolute enough to decide for itself the answer to the question “Is there a threat to our national security and our way of life?” Of almost equal importance is the question “What is the form or type of threat and what is its timing?” If the mind rejects these fundamental questions or if its reply is negative, then there is a certainty that from t’jat point on there will be superficial and sterile argument over the related issues.

To all of the doubters, the uncommitted, and to those relatively few who have been conditioned to disdain the leadership of our two countries, this writer would like to extend an urgent conviction. There is indeed a Communist threat that has ultimate designs on Australasia. This menace has been courageously and farsightedly faced by New Zealand and Australian leaders. These leaders, both military and political, are. by any rule of logic, in a far better position and possessed of much more pertinent information to make critical decisions than the rest of us. Can we not put first things first and acknowledge personal responsibility, whatever dark episodes and sacrifices the future holds?