Central African Federation
Sut,—I would like to congratulate your paper on a masterly piece of understatement in the article on the Federation vote in last week's issue.
You say that the thesis (of the unjustifiability of imposing federation on the African population against its will) must command respect. It must indeed, for millions of men have laid down their fifes because of their belief in that thesis. Few have the words to express their belief, but Mr. Churchill and President Roosevelt summed it up in the Atlantic Charter signed in 1941, saying that Great Britain and the United States " respect the right of all peoples to choose the form of government tinder which they will live. . . "
Thousands of African soldiers gave their lives believing in the integrity of the British people in the two World Wars of this century. Chiefs from Central Africa have told the British people that they are most emphatically opposed to federation. Central African Federation .is a very grave responsibility not only for the white settlers in Africa and for Parliament but for every citizen in the British Isles. The wishes of the African peoples, whether they be misguided or not, are a matter of deep concern to uS all. This matter concerns the very soul of our nation and must not be
taken lightly.—Yours faithfully, GERALD R. IBBOTSON. 73 Richmond Grove, Manchester, 13.
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