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New Zealand Listener, Volume 31, Issue 790, 10 September 1954, Page 5

Sir-The statements of your correspondent "Lubber’s Point" regarding the foreign policy of the Peking administration are doubtless true, but still do not constitute a valid criticism of the points made in Mrs. Ross’s broadcast or in your recent brilliant editorial. The significant factor of the present situation is that war on the nuclear level is not a practical means of settling differences between States, and that cooperation between oriental and occidental civilisations is not conceivable unless the West utilise all their more intensive diplomatic experience to heal any breaches that occur. This policy would be justifiable even if only for the purpose of -detaching Chiaa from Russia, as it would surely be more satisfactory to deal with the Orient Powers separately rather than both at once, Nothing is less likely to aid diplomatic processes than continual criticism by the West of the means by which the Peking administration elects to maintain order within its own frontiers, especially as it is hardly possible to conceive of any means by which we could compel them to adopt domestic policies more in line with the recent tradition of Britain and America. Further, the West is at the moment in a scientific position allowing us greater destructive potential than the East, and hence greater opportunity to compromise, placate and concede, provided only that we never betray any agreement undertaken with Powers hostile to Peking or Moscow. Righteous indignation is one of the many luxuries that patriotic men must deny themselves at all times, and at no time so much as the present.

G.

BARCLAY

(Takapuna),