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Virginity In Danger

"New Zealand's strategic virginity is in danger of being violated," said Mr Rod Alley Teaching Fellow in Political Science, at the Omega Teach-in on Sunday.

He said thre major questions had arisen from the teach-in which should be answered by the Government immediately.

• • What is the precise military role of Omega?
• • What arc the respective attitudes of the governments of New Zealand and United Stales towards the arms control proposals.
• • What relation has the proposd Omega station to the Kwajalein Island tests in 1970.

The Kwajalein Island to which he was referring were United States combat-type test For multipl-warhead missiles scheduled for 1970.

"A line drawn through the Hawaiian Island Group where an Omega station is already located would, with a line drawn from the South Island coast of New Zealand form a right-angle in the test area."

"It seems the part the station will play needs clarification."

The arms race, in trms of tand-based armour. is levelling-up. he said, but in the field of submarine the United Stales in maintaining it's superiority.

"Former Secretary of Defence, Mr McNamara has said that the United States is capable of destroying three-quarters of the total industry in Russia and leaving 100 million Russians lor dead.''

The United States have over 1,000 land-based missiles," Mr. Alley said.

"They also have 656 Polaris submarines which are being converted to carry multi-warhead Poseidon missiles, which are capable of carrying a maximum of 16 warheads each."

Mr Alley said hegemonial organisations, such as S.E.A.T.O., Warsaw Pact, all had a clearly defined leader which interprets and defines any opposition the organisation might face.

"There is a growing realisation in New Zealand that United States have control of those they participate in."

Referring to the cost of the base, Mr Alley said, "Whatever the cost it will be a trifling amount by Pentagon standards."

He said that those who read the "smaller articles", in the New York Times, "the ones on about page 5 with small headlines," would find much information in terms of the amount allocated on defence requirements.

About one column inch was all that was necessary to inform the public that several million dollars had been approved by the Senate to meet the defence bill.

Mr Alley predicted that land-based forces would decline in importance over the next few years.

This was related to American fears of Chinese inter-continental ballistic missile capacity, and were expanding their forces submarine capacity to counter this.