Partisan story
Sir: It's nice of Mr Brian Crozier to grit his teeth and try to find some virtue in my book about 'Portuguese' Guinea (21 June). But I fear I must ask you to print this short reply.
It is defamatory to say that I take 'relish' in `the thought that a victory in Guinea will help freedom fighters elsewhere to turn southern Africa into a bloodbath.' There is nothing in my book to suggest that I take relish or any other pleasure in any such prospect, or indeed that 'a bloodbath' is the aim or intention of these freedom fighters or the likely result of their action.
On the contrary, there is strong reason to believe that present pain and suffering can be diminished, and eventually removed, by the kind of structural changes for which these freedom fighters fight; and that, in the measure they can succeed, the pros- pects for 'a bloodbath' grow smaller, not larger.
Perhaps I may add that I have seen enough of war—and rather more, I think than Mr Crozier—to want no more of it than can possibly be avoided. As to Mr Crozier's suggestion that PAIGC victory in Guinea will lead to a totalitarian' system, the whole argument and evidence of my book leads precisely to an opposite con- clusion.
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