Soviet policy

Press, 3 August 1983, Page 20

Soviet policy

Sir, — Your article, “Communism’s broken promises” (July 26), points out the credibility gap between communist propaganda and actual reality. The communist promises are born partly of selfdelusion and partly deliberate deception of the population: for example, the idea that the “State will wither away” at some ever-reced-ing point in the future. These promises of wealth and plenty for all do not face up to the real reasons why men ever create wealth in the first place — for selfadvancement. In fact, the policies of the communist State suppress any propsect of personal reward for effort and production. We in New Zealand can see the same thing happening here. We may soon hear Mr Muldoon saying that the Budget deficit will wither away. — Yours, etc., J. LANE. July 29, 1983. Sir, — It affords grimly ironic satisfaction that, at a time when several of your correspondents are maligning and slandering the Soviet Union with ill-informed, illwilled charges of “totalitarianism” and “failure to keep agreements,” the United States Government is desperately striving to restore its credibility in Soviet eyes, as a reliable trading partner after the fiasco of the grain embargoes by Presidents Carter and Reagan who broke solemnly undertaken agreements in doing so (“The Press,” International page, July 30). The United States needs to sell its grain to the Soviet Union more urgently than the Soviet Union needs to buy it. It says much for the peaceful intentions of the Soviet Union towards the United States that it magnanimously refrains from vengefully using the great economic power in its hands to damage the United States grain-growing industry by refusing to negotiate any more grain deals with the United States. — Yours, etc., M. CREEL. 1983.