Cable briefs

Press, 30 April 1981, Page 8

Cable briefs

‘Pope's pledge' An Italian magazine,, quoting Vatican sources, has said that Pope John Paul wrote to the. Soviet President (Mr Leonid Brezhnev) that he would return to Poland and personally lead the resistance if the Soviet Union invaded his native country. The Vatican’press, office declined comment on the report in the weekly magazine “Oggi” (Today). “If you invade Poland, I will go back to my country and become the leader of the Polish resistance,” “Oggi” quoted the Pope as saying. The Pope has repeatedly called for prayers for his native country.—Rome. Old Vic broke Britain’s historic Old Vic theatre is under threat of closure next month, the theatre’s director, Timothy West, has said. He said that $1.2 million a year was needed to safeguard its future. Mr West took over as director last year when the theatre had an accuinulated deficit of $l.OB million. He succeeded in doubling audience figures and making- a trading profit, helped by a controversial performance of “Macbeth” by Peter O’Toole. Then the Arts Council suddenly axed a $720,000 grant, and the Old Vic was back amid financial crisis.—London.

U.S. apologises The United States Senate Foreign Relations Committee has unanimously approved a resolution expressing “profound regret” over the recent collision in the East China Sea’ between a United States missile-firing nuclear submarine and a Japanese freighter. Two Japanese crew members died: when the merchant vessel sank shortly after the accident on April 9. Reports that the submarine surfaced briefly but then left the scene without aiding the stricken freighter’s crew have, led to sharp protests in Japan. .Lawyers for the victims have said they will seek $1.78 million in damages — Washington. Peking protest v Wall posters have appeared at Peking University, traditionally at the forefront of Chinese political debate, defending a leading author from attacks in the official .press, students have said. The hand-written statements said a banned film scripted by. an author, Bai Hua, which in effect questions the future of China under communism, should be shown so that audiences could make up their own minds about it. This month the official armed forces newspaper denounced Bai Hua over the script for the film, “Bitter Love” .which was shown to selected audiences several months ago but then suppressed. It was the strongest attack on an author since Mao Tse-tung’s death five years ago and accused Bai Hua of having depicted life under- socialism as utterly hopeless.—Peking.