Frigates

Press, 30 May 1989, Page 16

Frigates

Sir, —M. Johnston (May 25) correctly recalls that Hitler and Stalin carved up the Baltic States in 1939, but seems unaware of, or ignores, other relevant historical facts. Tsarist Russia annexed the Baltic States, then Poland between 1770 and 1810, seeking expansion and revenge for past aggression. Napoleon freed Poland, which promptly supplied 90,000 troops for his failed invasion of Russia in 1812. The Baltic States and Poland then remained Russian until the Tsarist collapse in 1918 when Balts and Poles invaded Russia, regained independence and joined 14 other nations intervening in Russia’s revolutionary civil war of 191822. All this aggression and retaliation confirms how futile war and hatred really are, with ordinary, decent humans always suffering immensely. The Polish and Baltic peoples are now using peaceful protests and pressure to gain greater freedom under communism; likewise, the Chinese masses. Gorbachev’s drive and vision, hopefully, will also influence the Chinese leadership toward radical reforms.—Yours, etc. M. T. MOORE. May 25, 1989. Sir, —Ms Ruth Dyson, the Labour Party president, raises the question of our A.N.Z.U.S. connections bringing us into the Vietnam debacle. We were not threatened by Vietnamese freedom fighters. After their defeat, the French failed to govern South Vietnam. A foothold in South-East Asia would retrieve lost consumers for big business, and, particularly, offer another springboard, after the Korean stalemate, for America to put Chiang Kai-shek back in China. On the naval side, there was the admitted dirty trick in the Tonkin Gulf, and now we know an aircraft-carrier had a hydrogen bomb near Vietnam, surely defoliation overkill. With all the fuss over democracy in China and Panama, we should remember our frigate at Suva when the Fijian Governor —General vainly ordered the army to realeases its kidnap victims. I believe our Government knew of the coup in advance, and gave the necessary assurances to the treacherous, mutinous Rabuka.— Yours, etc., VARIAN J. WILSON. May 25, 1989.