Britain, Bombs and Bad Temper

I have no Intention of following "E.W." in his bull-llke rampage about the landscape of Imperialism (your issue of June 15th), while he tramples underfoot the old school tie which he quite gratuitously, Introduces to help make a Wellington holiday, I made three points and their only: that Britain warned the objects of military bombings, that there was considerable opposition to this policy in Britain, and that the fact that such a policy was openly discussed was a sign of freedom of opinion. I ventured to suggest that these conditions might be placed to Britain's credit That was all I said, and the position of negroes in the West Indies or forced labour in Kenya has no more to do with it than the shape of Mr. Eden's hat, I did not condone the bombing. I did not say or imply anything about "nigahs" and "E. W's." suggestion to the contrary is simply a stupid and very offensive assumption. I am pretty familiar with the darker side of British Imperialism; I was reading and writing about it probably before "E. W." was born. Britain may be a villain, but even villains are entitled to Justice, and all I did was to suggest mildly a direction in which Justice could be applied. "If 'A. M.' can think with any honesty on fundamental issues. . . ." How familiar this style of argument is! It is like a caste mark.