~ 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

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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;,