Behyendt in the New York Herald Tribune

“They held their peace conferences over there!”

A dubious ‘future’

ectionsof the commercial press

which take a great delight in
coldwar editorializing about the
“inconsistencies” of the Soviet
peace policies and the allegations
that Communists are always
“changing their line’ would do
well to remember that the jewel
of consistency is a very much mis-

Sing ingredient in their own polit- ©

ical grist mill.

Discarding all its previous, and
often very fine editorial effusions
on the futility, uselessness, and.
horrors of thermonuclear weapons
and war, the Vancouver Sun of
February 21 does a _ complete
about-face.

In its editorial “Nuclear Wea-
pons” the Sun shares “the hate
of all people, East and West for
the H-bomb”, but manages. to
come around to the Pearsonian
view that, — “For several years
at least, perhaps for a great many
years, nuclear weapons will be
part of the.Canadian defense forc-
es.”

dubious ‘“symbol’’ should now be
available on Canadian territory
and in the hands of Canadian
forces. This despite the fact that
only in the very recent past the
Sun has editorially railed against
such “symbols” and such “secur-
ity”?

“Consistency, thou art a jewel’,
but seldom found in the editorial
sanctums of the kept press. Quot-
ing Mike Pearson the Sun says,
‘the hoped the country might find
a non nuclear role. But this must
be for the future.”

With Canada in Washington’s
nuclear club, the chances of a
future for Canadians is greatly di-
minished.

Let reason

he Geneva 18-nation disarm-
ament conferences for a nuc-
lear test ban is again meeting with
the intransigent opposition of the
U.S. to any practical concessions
on its part to break the deadlock.
Moreover, and far short of any
evidence of “good faith” in seek-
ing such a ban, the U.S. timed the
opening of its new series of un-
derground tests with the opening
of the Geneva conference. This to-
gether with its stepped-up mili-
tary provocations, incitements and
economic blockade against the Re-
public of Cuba, are scarcely evi-
dences of good faith towards dis-
armament or nuclear test bans?
On the other had the Soviet Un-

tri h

ion has agreed to a stipulated num- —
ber of on-site inspections on Soviet —
territory, together with the in- —
stallation of internationally rec- —
ognized scientific apparatus, des- —
igned for the detection of nuclear
explosions in any global area.

Other nations at the Geneva —
conference are demanding that a —
basis of agreement between the
“Big Two” for a test ban must —
be found. The peace-loving peo-
ple of the whole world join in this
sentiment. Their insistence must
be heard in the halls of the Gen- —
eva conference. Their voices must —
~be strong and united — to remove —
the obstructions.

Nuclear ‘salesman’

A Slick Liberal nuclear sales-
man with all the gab of a
Fuller brush salesman has been
imported into Burnaby-Coquitlam
in an attempt to unseat NDP nat-
tional leader T. C. (Tommy)
Douglas in the federal election.

Mr. Tom Kent, “special consult-
ant” to Liberal leader Lester Pear-
son is the lad slated to do the job.
A bit of a newspaper man, glib,
sauve, presentable and _ tricky,
with something of a rcord in the
British “Intelligence Service’,
nuclear bomber Kent arrives well
equipped, (and no doubt well fin-
anced), to “sell” the people of Bur-
naby-Coquitlam on the “need” of
nuclear arms in Canada.

Aside from speculation on just

how much U.S. finances will be —
poured into this campaign to elect —

candidates of the newi American |

Liberal party is anyone’s guess. —
No doubt it will be considerable —
since the objectives of extending ©
and firming up Washington’s
“New Frontier” in Canada are
high. Theif- unwarranted inter-
ference in Canadian internal af-

- fairs, which forced this election M

upon the Canadian people are —
proof of that. :

We are fairly sure however, that.
the electors of Burnaby-Coquitlam
whose urgent social, economic and
peace desires, which do not include
nuclear bombs, will return nuclear
bomb salesman Kent back to

where he came from, empty handed.

of nuclear weapons and the desire
for universal disarmament has pen-
etrated the consciousness of man-
kind to such an extent that the
peace policies and appeals of the
Communists have now become a
matter of nation-wide and world
concern. In Canada so much so
that the old-line parties of monop-
oly are split right down the middle

thority that CAPRI plans to under-
take some “scientific research” —
work to determine the exact num-
ber of human beings that would be
annihilated in the first wave of a
major nuclear bomb attack?)

Men of science and common
sense have already given us some
indication of the staggering totals
in millions without requiring fur-

e don’t want to be unkind
towards the peace efforts of
the Canadian Peace Research In-
stitute (CAPRI) and its energetic
chief, Dr. Norman Alcock. But his
recent report at UBC campus
leaves us a bit limp at the sum-
total of CAPRI’s “researches” for
the amount of money expended.
This money it should be remem-
bered, came from public suscrip-
tions and donations to advance
what was considered to be a highly-
worthwhile effort for peace.

For an expenditure of some
$160,000, we get the information
from Dr. Alcock that ‘91-percent
of Canadians favor disarmament,”
and that 55-percent or thereabouts
of Canada’s top businessmen fear
that total disarmament would
“cause a recession.”

That is all, the essence and gist
of Dr. Alcock’s report. Certainly
not much for the money expended?

With all due modesty it may
be pointed out that since Hiroshima
the Communist Party of Canada
has been warning, urging, and ad-
vocating the universal banning of
nuclear weapons, and the abolition
of war as a means of settling inter-
national disputes, which History,
at a terrible cost to humanity,
has well demonstrated — settles
nothing.

Authorized as second class raail by Over the years and aided by the
the Post Office Department, Ottawa warnings of science, the outlawing
and for. payment, of postage in. gash....J..

_ What has brought on this pol-
itical about-face? ‘Why the Sun‘s
apolopia for nuclear arms in Can-
ada now? What has brought about
this change of ‘line’?

Since the Sun is confident that
Diefenbaker “will accept nuclear
warheads — if re-elected’, and
NDP opposition to nuclear arms
“are of little effect . . . since it
cannot be expected to form a gov-
ernment,” its about-face inspir-
ation obviously stems from the
same source as Lester B. Pear-
son’s — Washington.

Describing the H-bomb “in the
possession of the United States”
as “our symbol of security”, the
Sun is now of the opinion that this

Pacific Trib
aciric iripune
Editor — TOM McEWEN
Associate Editor—MAURICE RUSE
Business Mgr.—OXANA BIGELOW
Published weekly at: |
Room 6 — 426 Main Street
Vancouver 4, B.C.

Phone MUtual 5-5288
Subscription Rates: —
Canadian and Commonwealth coun.
tries (except Australia): $4.00 one
year. Australia, United States and
all other countries: $5.00 one year.

ther data on that score, hence
Canadians stand in no need of
CAPRI or other ‘‘statistics’’ on the
extent of their own cremation?

Certainly every effort towards
peace and universal disarmament
deserves the fullest moral and fi-
nancial support, no matter who
undertakes it. Every such effort
of the broadest possible character
adds to the sum total of the whole,
and should be welcomed, encour-
aged and supported.

The public response to the origin
of CAPRI itself proclaimed an ob-
vious truth; that the common peo-
ple in their vast majority desire
peace, an end to the arms race,
an end to the menacing horror of
thermonuclear war. An opportun-
ity to live, work and build — for
their country, themselves, and the
future of their children.

Were CAPRI to do some “re-
search”’ work: on what makes a
Canadian, whether Tory, Liberal
or Socred in politics, ready, will-
ing and anxious to have his country
commit nuclear suicide, it would
be doing a yoeman service for
Canada and for peace. And the
dough would be well spent.

At the moment, much as we hate
to say it, CAPRI begins to look like
a ‘respectable’ racket—exploiting
the deepest desires of a people
yearning for peace. We hope we
are wrong?

on this issue—simply because they
are getting to know what the Com-
munists have long insisted -that
the vast majority of the Canadian
people desire disarmament and
peace, a desire which does not go
down too well with their U. S,
overlords.

This knowledge then is scarcely
original, as revealed by a CAPRI
“research” report—with a $160,-
000. price tag on it.

It is reasonable to assume that
CAPRI’s “researches” on the at-
titude of Canada’s top businessmen
fearing disarmament would ‘“‘cause
a recession”, has some validity, but
again is scarcely worth the price
tag solicited and expended. Lead-
ing American, British and Soviet
economists have aleady made clear .
that the billions now squandered
for armaments, applied to peaceful
endeavours, would more than com-
pensate for the “change-over’’ dis-
location.

It would seem that CAPRI’s ef-
forts (and finances) could be put
to much better use than recapitu-
lating the obvious. Particularly in
the present political crisis gripping
Canada on the ‘“‘to-be-or-not-to-be”
of nuclear arms for Canada, and
the sovereign independence of our
country and its people from USS.
domination?

(It is now reported on good au-

coat os ee

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