June 17, 1966

Opinions expressed are not necessarily those of Vuwsa.

Apathy to bomb threat

Any Day Now, a mushroom cloud will sprout over a once-peaceful South Pacific atoll. France will have commenced its atom bomb tests.

It seems probable that a New Zealand public lulled by the soothing words of Mr. Holyoake will scarcely notice this real threat to New Zealand, will scarcely murmur in protest.

And thus the indictment of the National Government will be complete.

The National Government has gone right down the line in support of this country's dubious commitment in Vietnam. It has published books and booklets, sent MPs and others on trips, joined in debates and helped make the war a topic of current discussion.

But it has deliberately and callously underplayed the French bomb test. It had three pragmatic reasons:

• An informed, frightened populace might have demanded action.

• France buys too much of our exports for us to threaten any significant action.

• We might ourselves use nuclear weapons in the future.

We would have thought that, in face of a threat to the people of New Zealand rather more real than the Communists we are fighting in Vietnam, the New Zealand Government might have been consistent and sent troops to fight in Tahiti, too.

But we learned long ago that consistency cannot be expected in the foreign policy of this country.

—H.B.R.

Security men betray trust

Before The Determined Attack of Auckland students, Security Intelligence has crumbled. An active security agent has been rendered harmless—at least within the university precincts.

Thus ends this agent's generally inept attempts to investigate student politics, student travel, and student participation in left-wing movements. Thus ends this agent's attempts to recruit students to work for Security Intelligence.

But thus ends this agent's university education also, and this raises an important query which must not be overlooked.

A security agent has as much right as any other person to education. The freedom of a university must apply as much to him as to any other.

The time is even now uncomfortably close when public vendettas were carried out against university persons with "unacceptable" political views.

The right of a security agent to an education deserves protection now just as much as it has been necessary to protect the rights of others.

But the confidence and trust of students has been betrayed by the Auckland episode. It will require a great amount of caution before security agents are again permitted to study in New Zealand universities.

This paper has been aware at times of members of Security Intelligence who have studied at this university. It has been dillicult to evaluate each case, but it is true that such persons have appeared to be present purely in search of an education.

This in contrast to the usually inept performances of security men assigned to this campus.

Students are warned that Security Intelligence in New Zealand exercises a horrible half-influence over those it takes an interest in. A signature on the wrong petition. a subscription to the wrong newspaper, even a failure to stand for "God Save the Queen"—these may be the trivia which later help bar a person from a government job or a United States vacation.

We do not support the extreme actions of Auckland students. But the blame must fall both ways—and Mr. Godfrey's ineptness has earned Security a distrust they will not soon live down.

—H.B.R.