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Show LETTERS TO THE EDITOR It is quite evident we are in grave difficulty in Lebanon. In trying to rationalize how we got out on that limb it profits nothing noth-ing to think in terms of immediacies. immedi-acies. It has been the long term policy that has been misunderstood misunder-stood by the American people. As has been said before, our governmet makes the tragic mistake mis-take of making deals with kings, Shahs and rajahs rather than the people. We put a lot of money back of unpopular governments, as in Iran and Lebanon, then when the people turn on their own government it leaves us out on the limb. When will we learn that at this time in history it is people that count? The peoples of the middle East are going through their revolution revolu-tion just as we did in 1776. They are sick of governments that deprive de-prive the people of schools, hospitals, hos-pitals, roads, housing. Historically Historical-ly the rulers there have grasped ricfy oil lands, then given grants to oil companies over long terms enriched themselves with royalty and the people have gone without with-out the revenue to build their own country. In our own country we have learned to conserve our resources to some extent, subjecting the industry that extracts such resources re-sources to public taxation that has resulted in public revenue to build institutions that make us loyal to capitalism. Not so in the Middle East. Our government has been dominated dom-inated in its foreign affairs by oil companies that cared nothing for development but oft themselves. them-selves. The people have learned the meaning of expropriation and nationalism. Nasser's taking of the Suez ought to teach us the painful lesson of what is ahead. But we do not learn; we continue con-tinue to give support as a government gov-ernment to the reactionary elements ele-ments in backward countries. The people have no place to go but to the Soviet Union for support sup-port of their legitimate aspirations. aspira-tions. That is what puts us out on the limb, and there we are. It is strange that so few of our politicians understand these fundamentals. fun-damentals. Why are they so painfully pain-fully silent on the crucial issue of our time? The people of our country are alive to this problem. prob-lem. The candidates for public offices are timid, or worse, uninformed. un-informed. Let them speak up now. Our way of life will go if our leaders do not quickly learn this simple lesson of history. WARWICK C. LAMOREAUX |