Andrei Sakharov

Press, 8 February 1980, Page 10

Andrei Sakharov

Sir, — I was interested to . read W.'/ Rosenberg’s letter' on civil liberties for Andrei Sakharov; and for Newv Zealanders. One of ; misdemeanours has/TyUnder- • stand, been his opposition to the Russian presence in Afghanistan. As a pacifist in the Second W r orld War I . carried a sandwich board down'the Wellington' streets,-' ■

was threatened by patriots and finally stopped the protest or the police would have done so. Later, as did a dozen others, I tried to make my protest by way of a meeting on a small reserve in Wellington, was arrested and served three months hard labour. I can recall no fan mail from the many exponents of civil liberties for our Russian friends. I certainly believe that many New Zealanders find it easy to talk of civil liberties in other countries but would do nothing about the absence of them here. — Yours, etc., C. M. SUMMERS. . February 5, 1980. Sir, When exactly Dr Sakharov became a child outside his professional sphere I) am not able to answer James Clark precisely, but he betrayed himself when he devoted himself W “human rights” activities and began uttering his public pronouncements. I rjefer James Clark to Mark ' Frankland’s article (“The Rress,” February 5) in which ,his theory of '"“convergence” is stated thus:' “The West ; would ■ have to become more " socialist and the 'Soviet Union would have to adopt t ‘democracy.” This concept to Marxists and the vast majority of Soviet citizens is ludicrously childish. Socialism is., based on political and economic democracy, the social ownership of the land, its resources and all means of production. Capitalism is incorrigibly deficient in the latter form of democracy. The childish vanity of uan overweening egotism betrays itself in Sakharov’s view of himself as “blazhenny.” — Yours, etc., ■ M.. CREEL. February i 7, 1980. [This correspondence is now closed.—Editor