6 SEPTEMBER 1968, Page 28

Sir : By invading the Czechs and attempting to rape

them of their basic human right—self- determination and freedom—the Russians and their Warsaw Pact allies have committed the third most atrocious and monstrous act of the day which the civilised world views with horror and utter disgust. The Biafra tragedy and that of Vietnam cannot escape the mind. Ironically enough, Mr Wilson's Labour government and Moscow have formed a 'holy' alliance—rather unique in modern history—in persecuting a self-determined people of Biafra in the sacred name of unity; 'A unity of the dead and living.' as Tanzania's President Nyerere put it. The basic hypocrisy underlying these crimes is that they have been nurtured, perpetrated and mon- strously sustained by the same world powers who have urged nations to sign a treaty for non-proliferation of nuclear weapons, and who have also undertaken through such treaties to protect the less powerful nations from external aggression. Is that not a flagrant betrayal and duplicity

of the first order? Now, Wilson and Lai call on the Russians to withdraw from Czecho- slovakia. How dare Russia when America is there in Vietnam and British arms and per- sonnel are freely dispatched to Nigeria against Biafra? Harold Wilson's Labour government and Washington have rightly said they would not recognise the 'puppet' government being set up by Moscow in Czechoslovakia on the reasoning that it is based on conquest. Does not such a government set up by America exist in South Vietnam? Has the Labour govern- ment not done exactly that, though by a different method, in Ghana and Nigeria? Nigeria's regime of Lieutenant-Colonel Gowon, supersonically boomed to a 'Major-General,' came into existence by reason of mass murder and conquest. But the Labour government under Harold Wilson has legalised and in fact 'democratised' that regime. Hypocritically, the Labour government styles Biafran administra- tion with full mandate from its fourteen million people (about the same size as Czechoslovakia) as 'Ojukwu's rebel regime.' Why? Does the Labour government have a double moral stan- dard—one for Europe and one for Africa? But we are supposed not to practise racism as this is condemned by humanity.

Perhaps the liberal-minded' Cabinet mem- bers of the Labour government will now decide to send bombs, armoured cars, infantry and defensive weapons to Moscow to crush the 'rebel' Czechs so that Wilson and his ever- willing lieutenants—the Commonwealth Secre- tary, Lord Shepherd, and Mr Stewart—will have some influence with Moscow. But as Russia is now meeting with Czech leaders—Svoboda and Dubcek—the Labour government will not be made to say anything inflammatory in the meet- ing of the Security Council for 'fear of losing influence' with Moscow or so that the 'chances of a negotiated settlement' or of Czechs 'making big concessions'—quote—may not be jeopardised.