Write on: letters to the editor
World War II — 1
In his article "Who really won the second world war?" (GLW, May 24), Sean Healy fails to mention the Munich agreement of 1938 which gave Hitler the green light to take over Czechoslovakia and march east. Fed up with that, and the Anglo-French shilly-shallying and dilly-dallying over mutual anti-German defence preparations with the USSR, Stalin clearly saw the way the wind was blowing and that the western powers were egging Germany on to march east and destroy socialism. The Munich agreement was the other side of the Soviet-German Pact of 1939.
Further proof that England and France would do nothing at that point against Germany was the fact that they did nothing at all to help Poland when Germany invaded her on its way to Moscow — not a bomb did they drop on Polish or German soil, despite the fact that they had signed an agreement with Poland to help her if attacked.
The Soviet invasions of Eastern Poland and Finland were of course attempts to use them as buffer states, once it was clear that England and France would do nothing to stop Germany pushing east.
No country was ready for the ferocity of German invasions. How does Sean Healy know that Stalin spent the first 10 days of the invasion "drunk in his dacha"? (He was actually in Moscow and addressed the Soviet people by radio on July 3, 1941, 10 days after the invasion).
As regards the purge of Red Army officers, Stalin did not just do this for fun. I suggest Sean Healy read Stalin, Man of Contradictions by Prof. Neill Cameron (Strong Oak Press, 1987), especially chapter 5 which says: "In a situation of gathering war, with the Italian fascists in Ethiopia, the Japanese militarists invading China, and Hitler supporting Franco and straining for war, the Soviet government obviously decided that a severe counter-blow must be struck to stop all efforts to weaken the Soviet state from within."
Rosemary Evans
St Kilda Vic
World War II — 2
I take issue with some of Sean Healy's contribution "Who really won the second world war?" (GLW, May 24). If we are interested in carrying out serious political work we should learn from past mistakes but be reluctant to criticise and keep as close to the facts as possible.
From day one of the revolution in 1917 the Soviets were subjected to hot and cold war pressure. Misinformation set up by foreign intelligence, isolation, blockades and devastation caused by the invasion of Germany in WWI.
Maksim Litvinov, Soviet diplomat for foreign affairs had done everything possible to foster world peace and, after 1933, to build a united front against Nazi Germany. The Soviet Union was prepared to go to war against Germany to save Czechoslovakia and only backed off when the western powers through Poland would not give the Soviet army access to Czechoslovakia.
With the failure of the Litvinov initiatives, the Central Committee of the Communist Party faced a dilemma. The governments of France, England and Poland were more anti-communist than anti-nazi. If the Red Army had forced entry to assist the Czechoslovakian government, there was every chance that they would have been treated as an aggressor and had war declared on them by Britain, France, Poland and Germany. The signing of the non-aggression pact between Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union in 1939, although opposed by the left for good reason, countered the strategy pursued by Britain, France and Poland to urge Germany to destroy the Soviet Union while they watched from a safe distance. During the life of the pact the Soviet Union may not have acted wisely but there is no evidence that they were fooled as to the Nazis' intention.
I cannot accept the 1939 purge of political and general staff lightly but in the tense and suspicious environment at the time I am convinced that foreign intelligence organisations may have had a hay day.
There were major blunders by the Communist Party, but they were made under the most severe pressure and in spite of it all they saved the world from fascism, the radical ally of capitalism.
Dave Lofthouse
Kallangur Qld
[Edited for length.]
World Environment Day
Congratulations to the activists who organised Sydney's World Environment Day March on Saturday, June 3. It was a spirited event.
However, knowing the hard work that these people put in to build the day, I was disappointed and angry when I woke Saturday morning to hear news reports and even interviews with leading members, on 3 radio stations, that the Wilderness Society and the Australian Conservation Foundation had organised the day. A new slogan was also advanced for the day that in no way went along with the theme that was democratically decided by those actually involved in the day, that of "Livable Cities and Sustainable Environment".
The World Environment Day Committee was open for all groups to participate in supporting, building and deciding on the slogans, and these peak bodies declined the invitation.
To have any chance in building an environmentally and socially just planet I call on the Wilderness Society and the Australian Conservation Foundation to support or actively involve themselves in campaigns, and to openly and democratically build the environment movement.
Andrew Hall
Chippendale NSW
Euthanasia bill
Despite the predictable howlings of the "pro (what sort of life) lobby" and the Catholic Church, the voluntary euthanasia bill was passed by the NT parliament. The importance of this vote becomes clear if one considers that almost 80% of Territorians support it.
In the US state of Oregon, voluntary euthanasia is being challenged in the courts by religious fanatics despite a clear referendum result supporting it. Thus, the attempt by religious crackpots to hijack majority pro-choice decision is a threat to democracy.
Their opposition to basic human rights such as abortion, homosexual rights, etc, are further examples. Republican America is drifting fast into a fascist bible bashing dictatorship, where individual rights are limited to fascist bible bashers.
One last word to those "demi gods" of the AMA. Where is the dignity and humanity in keeping patients (against their will) alive, drugged to the eyeballs to limit their intolerable pain, just because some doctors' egos cannot accept defeat and treat death as the worst case scenario. Keeping terminally ill patients alive against their expressed wishes is nothing short of torture and should be regarded as a crime against human dignity.
Michael Rose-Schwab
Gurambai NT
Blue Mountains developments
Intimidation by developers continues in the Blue Mountains. Secretary of the Springwood Chamber of Commerce, Mary Ann Shuter, was "visited" and told to follow the plans of the Springwood Town Centre Advisory Committee (STCAC). Her visitor was Mr Ron Solomon, real estate developer, and President of the Springwood C of C. Springwood has a strong clique of land rorters and developer chasers, typical of other Liberal branches in the mountains.
All Mary Ann had done was express a different opinion, saying she wanted the village character, and environmental values of Springwood preserved. Solomon then told her to resign. She says, "Springwood is at the crossroads in time, where we will either retain and enhance our tranquil bushland village character, or we will wall ourselves in to become like a suburb."
The STCAC is a typical developers' ploy when they want to roll the locals. They use "experts on sensitive development", in this case an accountant, a solicitor and a real estate agent, to bulldoze developers' plans over popular opposition.
The rip-off kings have formed a new political party, "the Alliance", which will field candidates in the next Blue Mountains elections. Ralph Williams, developer and former Mayor, is testing the water.
Denis Kevans
Wentworth Falls NSW