THORNEYCROFT ADMITS THAT AIM IS TO STARVE TRIBESMEN from Frank Allaun
May I congratulate The Week on the excellent and remarkable job it is doing. In response to the financial appeal I enclose g small donation of £1. You might like to see the enclosed extracts from Hansard. You would think that when our Minister of Defence admits instfuctions to starve civilians it would be news. I regret to say I couldn't see any press report, with one exceptioneeceeces
The extract reads:
"26. Mr. Frank Allaun:asked the Secretary of State for Defence what actions are being taken by the military forces in Southern Arabia affecting the civilian population's food supplies,
39. Mr. Warbey asked the Secretary of State for Defence for what reasons he authorised the burning of food stocks in Radfan villages and the expulsion of the tribesmen and their families from their lands just prior to the sowing season.
, Mr. Thorneycroft: We are dealing with rebels, armed,equipped and ~ incited from the Yemen. We can and do use military action in certain areas, but in others it is better to deny the area to them. It is inevitable that erops should suffer and food stocks be destroyed in the process of excluding the rebels from their settled areaSeecces NALSO letter to Wilson continued/ initiate a campaigm to "BRING THE LADS HOME!" This might be°popular than you suppose since it has been borne in on many during similar episodes that continued sacrifice of British youth in this way is unnecessary. In the fight against feudalist sheiks and imperialist domination our sympathies are firmly on the side of the rebels,
e) According to you where our troops are “accepted under treaty it is the duty of the Government to sive them all the necessary backing and the Opposition support them in this," This is utterly sophistical argument. The point is what are the troops doing there in the first place? Naturally once you embark on a policy of repression this argument can be used to justify 1,000 1b bombs and swarms of helicop»ters. The question is where can one get out of this vicious circle short of the ultimate barbarism it led to in Algeria and in Angola? In our opinion the best time to stop is now. We demand the calling of an immediate truce and withdrawal of British troops. As for the question of a 'treaty' as the P.L.P. spokesmen have said, the Aden states are protectorates run ttterly unrepresentative stooge governments and such enforced 'treaties' are worthless. We demand that you point this out and campaign for the introduction of truly repres-= entative government in the area,
f) In your statement of May 12th you said "....we think it right to state..s.that Aden must be held as an important base, both for communications and as a centre for peacekceping operations. ‘What other measures are necessary to this end must be taken," We are dismayed that a Labour leader should adopt such a backward attitude. We assert that there is no reason whatsoever for a socialist to support the Tory policy on this issue, As you must know well "peace-keeping" is a hypocritical Toryeuplemism. The true purpose of the base,as more honest commentators like the Financial Times have said, . is to protect British oil interests. The troops are there not to help the Arabs but to help British big businesSeececevece