Vietnam

Press, Volume CXV, Issue 33815, 11 April 1975, Page 8

Vietnam

Sir, -— From 1964 as one •whose concern for peace: I was not “spurious,” I advo- i •cated three things: less con-, : troversial more strictly defensive military tactics, • I the spending of as much on ‘ (constructive aid for the; ‘South Vietnamese people as' • on bombs, and a search for: • a negotiated settlement. At! I no stage did I advocate . 1 •withdrawal of troops before •the establishment of peace. I I still believe such policies • could have been successful. • but a negotiated settlement • needed to be backed by willingness to resume defensive fighting if it was violated. It is not the fault of the peace movement if the Americans used a peace treaty as an excuse to abandon a task they had grown tired of. The excesses of American military policy, against which too few protests were made,: were responsible, far more: than the peace movement,' for turning public opinion, against the war. — Yours; etc. MARK D. SADLER. • April 5, 1975. Sir. — Once again; “P.J.A.” has sent in a pro-; r hinese Communist version of current events. My. im-c pression is that “P.J.A.”! looks up to Communist d China as a deity which can- ‘ not possibly be wrong and which must be defended ’ whenever there is the slight- 1 est criticism. Like the rest ] of us, he depends on books 1 and reports for his informa- 1 tion. If China is so perfect. 1 why has “P.J.A.” not taken 1 up residence there long ago i instead of living in a land whose government he des- • pises? From what I have i

gleaned from people who : have lived in China and Russia, there are some fea- • tures of their way of life we ' would do well to emulate. What I deplore is their basic lack of freedom and the disruption they have caused inother countries. If “P.J.A.”; wants to delude himself that; South Vietnam is now liberated that is his business.: Time will teil. — Yours etc., I OLYMPUS. | April 9, 1975. Sir, —- It must give university Communist, anarch-! ist, and anti-social elements! great pleasure to see North! Vietnam forces continue • their southward trek. These anti-American elements hate; the Americans because the' United States is the only! country that is standing be- • tween the free world and world domination by Com-, [munism. There are countries! ;north of Australia ready and. !powerful enough to invade; and take both Australia and; New Zealand and we could l do little to stop them. Only! one country stands between Them and us — the United States, just as she stood be-, tween us and the Japanese' back in the darl; days of 1 1942. — Yours etc., T. HALL. | April 10, 1975. [Subject to the right of reply ; by “5.G.F.,” this corres- i pondence is now closed.: —Editor.]