SHADOW OVER BERLIN
Sir,-You say that Russia is either "larrikin, lunatic, or outlaw; taking pleasure in starving two and a-half million people ... ; driven crazy by suspicion or fear; or is simply pushing and squeezing and grabbing. . . ." Apart from the fact that there is no question of starvation, you. carefully avoid the obvious truth, that Russia is playing, and playing astutely, the same game of power politics that has been the policy of all strong nations for hundreds of years. In particular, the Berlin blockade was the immediate retaliation fof the Western currency reforms, which were a contravention of the Potsdam agreement and other pacts. Russia could expel the other Powers from Berlin, but it is a historical fact that Russia is slow to break agreements, even when they have been made void by the actions of others. Because Russia was strong, we > .
fought the Crimean wer against her. For the same reason, we formed with her an alliance which was one of? the factors leading to the first world war. Because Russia was strong, Germany Was permitted to-rearm and to attack her neighbours, Because Russia was strong, Poland would not release us from a promise to protect her, so we had the second world war: We should demand a better reason before letting editors talk us into a third.
VARIAN J.
WILSON
(Christchurch).
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New Zealand Listener, Volume 19, Issue 478, 20 August 1948, Page 5
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223SHADOW OVER BERLIN New Zealand Listener, Volume 19, Issue 478, 20 August 1948, Page 5
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