Marshal Ky’s Visit

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31269, 16 January 1967, Page 10

Marshal Ky’s Visit

Sir, —Not only are trade unions becoming far too powerful, and even dictatorial, in the industrial world; but they have seen fit, by some warped, insane reasoning, to extend their activities to a political sphere in which they have no justification—external affairs. Since when did Vietnam, or Marshal Ky’s visit, have anything to do with labour relations? Have the trade unions lost sight of their raison d’etre? Do they no longer represent the majority of the workers? No poll has been taken among them, in most cases, to find their opinions. It appears that the decision to oppose Ky’s visit has been formed by the ruling clique of unionists, among them many Communist, antiVietnam elements, and the leader of the Federation of Labour, who announced the decision. Surely trade unions have enough work without fouling their hands in this way.—Yours, etc., JOHN M. DOLLAR. Geraldine, January 13, 1967.

Sir, —The current protest over Ky’s visit should not be aimed at him personally, for he is the product of a complex and unsavoury crisis rather than the cause of it. It should be directed against the Government of this country which, faced with the fait accompli of a selfinvitation by Ky, prefers to maintain the stance of having arranged the tour in spite of all appearances to the contrary.—Yours, etc., L. G. LUKEY. January 15, 1967.

Sir, —You refused my letter on a different subject recently, stating it to be “offensive.” However in this morning’s issue your correspondent “Alpha” refers to people opposing Marshal Ky’s visit as “squealing cranks, cranks and halfwits”—a terminology bordering on the obscene. If you publish that sort of writing, when does a letter become offensive? I might remind you that many great men, including in the U.S.A.

are opposed to the Vietnam war.—Yours, etc., M. January 14, 1967. Sir, —“West Wind’s” reference to the Government’s “small” majority overlooks the fact of the 18 per cent who voted Social Credit, whose policy is to keep our troops overseas until such time as there is justice to everyone concerned. So lets hope that Marshal Ky’s visit will be the success that L. B. J.’s was.— Yours, etc., FACTS. Sir, —In this correspondence the already colourful image of Marshal Ky has been inhospitably misused in analogies featuring a Roman oligarch confronted by Spartacus as leader of the Viet Cong, a dictator Julius Caesar, a Nero presumably playing an electric guitar as Saigon burns, a peripatetic racketeer, Nkrumah, Hitler, and now Varian Wilson introduces Major Quisling. No perennial television actor, let alone Sir Laurence Olivier, gets a run like this. With Quisling’s appearance, President Johnson relinquishes his alternating roles as the Fellow Rogue of Texas and Bloodfinger, and so relieves Ky of Hitler. This is where ambivalence steps in and some mixed-up Vietnik steps out of the airport powder-room waving a stale bit of cardboard daubed “Quisling.” I am not a psychological authority on the sense of humour, but with his French education I guess the Marshal, when confronted with placards, will reflect with a smile: “Qui accusent, s’accusent.”—Yours, etc., A. B. CEDARIAN. January 14, 1967.