29 DECEMBER 1944, Page 11

SIR,—Your issue of December 8th has only just reached me,

but I would like to add a sailor's weight to what the soldier thinks. My own experi- ence amply confirms the tale of cynicism and disbelief among service- men. If asked, I believe a majority would style themselves Socialists because they believe, not that Socialism will benefit the "have-nots" very much, but that it will reduce the "haves."

The point which most concerns me is that this general attitude of help- less mistrust of politicians is a first-rate breeding-ground for dictatorship, be it imposed by the Left or the Right. If the individual ceases to care, someone else is going to do it for him—and it may not be the right