~ Dear Editor:

On the 50th anniversary, the dropping of the
atomic: bomb on Hiroshima and - Nagasaki
.. should be thoroughly reviewed. It is not appro-
* priate that the only. voices heard should be

Collins’-and Wright's.

~<A famous slogan of a New York newspaper
was “All the news that's fit to print’. Collins
| Seems to have stood it on its head and taken the
~ slogan “Print all the news that fits”. His selec-
tive review starts from the premise that, there
would have been an invasion of Japan and that
* the Japanese would have fought to the death.
"The logical extension of that position is that
‘many Americans would have died subduing a
fanatical enemy.

. There is ‘no question that many lives: were
~ lost on both sides.at battle places such as Iwo
~- Jima and Okinawa. I have always been puzzled

that these islands were not bypassed and their
_ supply lines cut off. 1 don’t pretend to be a mil-

¥

Conventional bombing of Japan had become
so routine “and unopposed that one pilot
described it as “like a. training mission”.
Hiroshima was undamaged despite the lack of
defense. There was a military base, but it was
considered of ne significance. American cryp-
tologists had broken the Japanese military code.
They were aware the Japanese knew they were
defeated and were trying to find a way to end
the war. A prime barrier was Roosevelt's insis-
tence, carried on by his successor Truman, of
unconditional surrender.

At the Potsdam. conference. Truman
achieved his goal.of a commitment from the
Soviet Union that they. would enter. the war
against Japan. They gave a timetable for move-
ment of material and their huge, battle-hardened
army to a-position for the invasion of Japan.
Troman went home elated. He wrote in his diary
‘that the “Japs” were finished. [tis also well doc-
umented that ‘after the bomb‘ was dropped,

Truman 1 managed to suppress the publishing of -

his diary during -his lifetime. A flat-out state-
ment that there would have been un invasion is

speculative at best und unlikely at worst. None |

of this is any news to Collins.

Why then, was the bomb dropped? And why
Hiroshima? Hiroshima, as the last. relatively
untouched large city, was un excellent laborato-

“ry to determine the destructive. power of the

bomb. Wright's column repeats Collins’ like
that of a schoolboy who has got hold of some-
one else's essay and changed the wording
slightly to fool teacher. He cites the same atroc-
ities point for point. There is one significant dif-
ference and Wright has it right. That is, the real
target was the Soviet Union. ;

The bomb could have been dropped ‘on any

of the small islands that surround Japan. If that ”

failed to bring surrender, they could have then

followed the course: they did. This horrible -

action had as its prime purpose the frightening

- of the Soviets. The Americans discussed it at the

highest levels. It was pointed out that it: ‘could

eS Be

have the opposite effect of. spurring the.. .

Russians on to development of their own bomb, \

This it did to the extent that they actually devel- .
oped the hydrogen bomb first. 7
None of this is to excuse the barbarity of the
Japanese in their prosecution of the war, If the ©

atrocities committed by the Japanese were part
of the excuse for this action, wiy was nothing
done about the ge:m warfare tests in Mongolia?
Prisoners of war. were tethered out ‘in the fields
to have 'a'device containing a virulent strain of |

‘anthrax exploded over their heads. Among the

victims were some American servicemen. :

The medical officer in charge of this experi- °«
‘ment retired fabulously wealthy as the head of a

large. Japanese. chemical complex. The
exchange with the Americans of the data on the
anthrax effects’ probably had something to do
with the fact that he was never charged | with war
crimes. z
When it comes to making a judgment on this
question, | have no hesitation in siding with the.

‘distinguished economist and philosopher John -

Kenneth Galbraith over, tenth-rate - Rush
Limbaugh imitators like Collins and d Wright
Terry Simpson

North Vancouver

:itary expert, so I will remain puzzled.

‘Rational v voices were silenced’

Dear Editor: : :
It“ has . been: 50: ‘years since’ the

‘bomb was dropped on Hiroshima and‘:

it serves little purpose to inflame old

“wounds by debating the necessity of

‘that terrible event.

:, We have many. issues i in 1995 that a

‘need our attention. was

“World War If was. caused by v ven- 7

omous ‘spiteful -men of: all: races.
Frenchmen forced‘ unreasonable ‘and
unjust "demands:
‘Germany: at’: Versailles’ after ~ the

“Great: War": Wackos in..Germany °
“blamed the loss’of the war on the ~

Jews and’ gained: power..In Japan, a
military®’caste seized: contro! ~and
decided that the pure “Yamato” race

eeded an empire such as the Dutch, :

-Americans,’; British, ° French’, and
Chinese. had.: Rational_voices: were
‘silenced and we ‘slaughtered a. hun-
dred million of our own species:

"Rather ‘than’ provide the“ North,
Shore with a rational or even coherent -
view on‘these events, North’ Shore '
residents are provided with the twist-:
ed, distorted and inflammatory views: -

f Doug Collins. ;° ..

While whining ; like the misan-

EXPIRES AUG. 31

“VERTICALS & //

a, \easi BLINDS

in a-.-stricken :

thropic old imperial relic he is about
-“tevisionist” history, he quotes from

such -august -:historians..as’. Ernst

* Zundel and Paul Fussel and ignores’

lesser voices. such as General
Eisenhower, Admiral..Leahy, and
John Kenneth Galbraith. °

That.is not responsible journal-
ism, never mind accurate history.

». The Japanese were finished when

~ Hiroshima and Nagasaki were oblit-
erated.” The ‘Russians had finally.

attacked. Serious peace’ feelers had
gone out to the West through the
Swiss and the Swedes. .

Yet Hiroshima (a very friendly
city. to. visit), a place full of women

‘ and children, was destroyed. Why? A

few miles up. the coast.was Kure —
one. of Japan's two greatest naval

bases... Japan's few surviving naval

_ Japanese would
‘ General ‘Curtis LeMay order a con-

“units were sheltered there.

And why, when the Americans .

12 hours the
surrender,

knew that. within

ventional firebombing of ‘Tokyo that
robbed 100,000 more people of their

lives?

Doug would do well to read books
like War Without Mercy, which won a
journalistic prize.

It is men like Collins who caused
that last war and will start-the next
one, We do not need ties, half-truths,
misquotes and non sequiturs. Let's
have some journalism. :

~ Ninety per cent of North Shore res:
idents do not agree with Collins, Fir: the
bum and give us sumeone with brains.
David C. Smith . ;

North Vancouver

4 \e PreScrpte

“At New Balance, we realize you have special needs,
To help fit these needs, we build our shoes in a full
range of widths and sizes. Because, after all,

shoes that fit better perform better.

new balance

A more intelligent approach to building'shoes.

4998 RUNNING
MS80 RUNNING
CXT775/605 COURT

}MKSGO CASUAL WALKING | § a ARASH

W995 RUNNING

Park Royal N orth

Pee Pe oe

922-2115

Pere ak oe

een tee we

did»

Kiwanis extend thanks

Dear Editor:

Re: Kiwanis Iodine Deficiency

Project.

it is my. pleasure, on behalf of
“Governor Bill Reitz and my fel-
low Kiwanians here on the North
Shore, to thank you for-your sup-
port of. Kiwanis [DD Weck, May

22 to 28,1995...
_. Kiwanis has accepted the chal-

; lenge, working with our ‘partners:

at UNICEF,’ to. eradicate Iodine :
Deficiency : Disorders around the’:
globe by the sear 2000. We appre- .

- ciate your, contribution to this =

great effort. We? will succeed, | ‘
thanks in part to your help...
George Cadman -

Lt. Gov., Div. 13-

North Vancouver

adveitorial
Aug. 30/95 - :

IMMIGRANTS AND REFUGEES |

“The topic of. Immigration
generates more calls and letters
to my office than any other area
of Government: poilcy. Public
Irritation with the system. has

_ grown to the point that a recent
poll :
Canada , Research. of: Tozonio.
found: 59%. of , Canadians in

“favour. of a five year immigra- .*
tion ban. while only 29% were |

_ opposed to such aban,
Those who are happy with the
present system say. that only a

very small percentage of immi- -

grants are a‘net cost to Canada.
However, there is now evidence

that in recent times a growing per.”
centage of sponsored immigrants
and refugee claimants are becom:

ing welfare recipients.
ON WELFARE

A’ study ‘carrled out In. the’

Toronto area ‘in 1993 found that
14% of sponsored immigrants

were on welfare even though their.
‘sponsors were supposed to take™

care of them. The study also found
that 3% of sponsored immigrants

went on welfare as scon as they..

‘arrived in Canada, 9% were on

welfare within three months, and.

fully 25% of sponsored immigrants
‘were collecting : welfare ‘within: a
year of arrival. These are NOT low
percentages. -

Roughly 100, 000 ‘sponsored
immigrants arrived in Canada in

‘|: 1993. If an average’ of 14% are

collecting welfare across. Canada
it could be costing us $88 million
per year in wellare. Add that to fed-
eral immigrant resettlement pro-

gram costs of about $500 million.
annually and we are starting to get:

into pretty big numbers. :
‘ In. .a_- statement. to: ‘the
Legislature on March 31, 1994 the
Ontario ““Minister © of Health
revealed thal 28,000: refugee
CLAIMANTS in Ontario were hav-
“ing their medical bills paid by. the
Province at an annual. cost of

$32.5 million.and she demanded
Government :

‘that -the Federal
begin paying for refugee claimant

health care to take the load off ”
provincial: taxpayers. Two vyeats .

been we re LU wel FE

conducted . by - Forum ‘

: agd it was racist to even ‘suggest |

that we'might be paying too much

to support non-preductive immi- 1” 7

grants and refugees but’ by., early”

1994 we even) had’ an NDP |
Government admitting the ‘costs .

were getting too high.

It is impossible at this time to
get a.clear picture of. the total ’
costs of welfare, health’ care, sup-:
port. pregrams ‘and - subsidized -:
societies which assist immigrants |
and .refugees, ‘but* there is, no# | ©:
doubt that it is In.the billions and ‘-

* growing. Sponsored : immigrants ::

still make ‘up oughly 50%" of the <

“Immigration quota so the problems

will persist unless the Minister. of
Immigration,., Sergio’ Marchl;: can
be convinced to evaluate ‘spon- -
sored immigrants based ‘on their,
skills, ‘education, and” language.

“abilities instead of simply on the

basis of humanitarian, family reuinie.

fication.

'PRO-IMMIGRATION
{am an immigrant myself so r
am ~ ‘naturally: pro-immigratlon.’ :

.However, 1: would: be ‘a VERY

TOUGH Minister: of. tmmigration *
because | believe that Immigrants
should have to earn the right to
come here, just as | did. It should
be a difficult, process. and: | see

-nothing wrong with setting high

standards for skills, education,

- and language. | also believe we

should concentrate on those who
can bring needed skills to Canada.
Family reunification should make

.up a-very.small portion of immi--

gration because ‘immigrants like
myself have the CHOICE to come -
here or.:not,,and Canada should,

‘not feet obliged to approve every-

one they try to sponsor. If we want:
to get control. of .the costs and. -

" reduce the irritations and tensions, :

i's time we. put. some. common

“-sense back into .our. immigration

policy. Please write to the Minister
with your thoughts. ,

Ted Whit White; M. Bes

arth’ Varicouver; B
o Tels 666-0585;,