“Threat To Europe”

Press, Volume CVIII, Issue 31654, 15 April 1968, Page 8

“Threat To Europe”

Sir,—No writer has distorted or ignored hard facts to discredit America more than Varian J. Wilson. He ignores the fact that Sir Winston Churchill strongly disagreed with President Trueman's decision to halt the Allied armies, thereby allowing the Russians to occupy a line to the Elbe to the west of Berlin. Again, he asserts that Hiroshima and Nagasaki had no military value. They were naval bases. He does not say that Sir Winston Churchill Agreed to their destruction. The fact that the bombing ended the war, there, by saving an estimated half a million Allied lives and probably literally millions of Japanese is not mentioned. If dollar imperialism is as-ruth-less as depicted, why was not the Japanese occupation of Australia permitted and then at the war’s end chased out by forces who were instructed to remain?—Yours, etc., V. WILKINSON. Ashburton, April 11, 1968. Sir, —First I must correct a sentence at the end Of my last letter. It should have indicated that Berlin could have become, like Tokyo, “the preserve solely of American imperialism.” Although Britain, China, Indo-China, Malaya, and Indonesia suffered most at the hands of the Japanese, America allowed none of these into Japan. “A.B. Cedarlan” again accuses me of distorting history. I am entitled to my interpretation of the facts, but your bad-tempered correspondent is not entitled to distort my words as he is repeatedly permitted to do. Typical is his sly, deliberate twist that I am “glad about Austria.” I am not glad about Austria, which has a Right-wing Government, and, in spite of solemn covenants to remain neutral, Is heading for the maw of the N.A.T.O. monster. I bow out of this unequal contest with alphabetical and editorial twisters. Youts, etc., VARIAN J. WILSON. April 11, 1968. Sir, —Does Varian J. Wilson, detesting America for Hiroshima and admiring Russia for Berlin, know that in 1961 Russia backed up its threats to America and Britain, over their refusal to leave Berlin, by an interesting resumption of nuclear test explosions? He is very satisfied Russia prevented Berlin becoming “another Tokyo.” Seeing that Australia and New Zealand would be in very poor shape if Tokyo had not been rescued from economic ruin, it could be that British trade, and com sequently New Zealand, would be in far better shape today if a united Berlin had be* come “another Tokyo.” Everyone should be critical of the Americans, but everyone being as anti-American as Varian J. Wilson is bad politics. “Do as you would be done by” is a good motto and most Britishers would rather be done by America than by Russia.—Yours, etc., A. B. CEDARIAN. April 11, 1968.