The Larger Hope
SIR,—Having read Arnold Beichman's article 'The Larger Hope,' my eye went to the War On Want
advertisement on the opposite page: . . Would any of us willingly stand by and allow a thief to rob a child? Millions of children are robbed 'daily of health and happiness, Robbed even of life itself, in the poorer countries of the world. Not by human thieves but by the grim cruelty of: Hunger, Disease, Ignorance and Poverty. It lies within our power to STOP THE THIEF.'
Oh my god the sickening irony of it. The thieves have been, and are, human; Hunger, Disease, Ignor- ance and Poverty are not four abstract evil entities, nor merely the hazards of cruel Nature: a major part of these evils have been and are caused by men, either ignorantly or wilfully. Do you know what • exploitation means?
Les Etats-Unis, malgre leurs ressources natur- dles, absorbent une grande partie des matieres
premieres produitcs par les autres pays. Leurs bouts niveaux de vie son' done en partic assis sur la misere des autres. (Gaston Bouthoul) Les Etats-Unis les aident un peu et les exploit- ent beaucoup. (Domenach) Take Latin America, the countries of Brazil,. Colom- bia, Nicaragua, Paraguay, Haiti, the Dominican Republic, Bolivia, Ecuador, Peru: ruled by dictators without a semblance of democracy, exploited by their bourgeoisie; exploited by the United States. In April 1964 President Goulart was overthrown by a military putsch; four days before a report from the State Department to the Committee of Foreign Affairs of the House of Representatives declared that Commun- ism was gaining strength in Brazil, and that com- munist activities were tolerated by President Goulart. Immediately after the putsch the US ambassador at Rio sent a telegram of congratulations to the interim president, and Mr. .Dean Rusk stated that US recognition was automatic since the change had been effected according to the rules of the constitution. Do you need to be reminded of what has happened in the Dominican Republic?
What of China? Can you not bring yourselves to admit that the People's Republic have beaten under- development, accomplished a miracle?
. . . Dennis deux ans, trois ans, une meilleure agriculture, de bonnes recoltes successives, les effets d'une industrialisador acceldree, qui com- mence a produire largement les biens de con- sommation les plus indispensables, ont supprime la faim pour tous et les Bens sont vatus . . . . bonheur inespere pour cent. deux cents, trois cents millions d'heritiers de generations d'affames . . . la Chine populaire fournit la prcuve que la misere a perpetuite n'est pas forcement le sort ineluctable d'une grande partie de l'humanite. (Max-Oliviei Lacamp. Le Figato, Aug. 5, 1964).
Are you really surprised and shocked that other countries in the Far East (not to mention elsewhere) should turn their eyes to China?
Do not think I am abusing the War on Want organisation; I am abusing your paper which supports the oppression and exploitation of the very people the War on Want organisation want so much to help. The wars of liberation are fighting a war against want, a war against human thieves. Why, why do you sup- port the successive governments of South Vietnam? Why? Is it through ignorance? It can't be. The Spectator aims to be a serious and informed political paper, doesn't it? Do you read? Do you listen? Don't you see what a frightening mockery this 'free world' cant is? Do you really believe the United States government is fighting the people of Vietnam for their own good? Do you really believe that napalm, indis- criminate bombing and burning, torture and misery are convincing the Vietnamese of the rightness, the benevolence, the freedom of Western Democracy? Or do you deeply and sincerely, like the Grand In- quisitors, believe that it is better for the body to be burned with fire than that the soul should be con- demned to everlasting fire? Or is it that you, together with the directors of Latex Inc., realise that if the rubber trees are nationalised . . . ?
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