Anti-Military Policies of Liberals in Canada

John V. Conroy’s letter (Jan. 1) about Canadian policy was a perfect example of the dangerous attitude that The Times’ editorial (Dec. 4), “Disaster in the Making,” warned about.

With all due respect to the peaceful goals of the Liberal Party of Canada and others with similar anti-military philosophies, their policies are misguided, selfish and hazardous.

Conroy wrote that independence from U.S. defense policy by Canada and other nations was cause for concern here since it would harm the “ever-expanding military-industrial complex.” While the defense industries of the United States are big business, Conroy is flippant in dismissing their existence as only an economic factor. He fails to take into account that the things manufactured by these industries are vital for defending the United States and her allies. The fact that a profit is made by defense companies is no justification for disregarding the importance of the military in defending the United States and other countries of the free world.

New Zealand, with her nuclear-free zone policy, has caused a serious rift with the United States. By banning from their ports any sea vessels armed with nuclear weapons, they lessen the capabilities of the U.S. Navy and set a dangerous precedent. Possibly the worst part of this entire situation is the attitude of the New Zealand government, which has brushed off the suggestion that the United States would not defend her in a military emergency. They are right, of course, but this is still a slap in the face to the United States and her allies who share the defense responsibility.

The United States has no intentions of taking over Canada, New Zealand, or any of her other allies, and her goals are no different from theirs. The United States does not want war, but her philosophy of maintaining peace is tempered by reality. The realization that one country’s importance carries much farther than its own borders will always be part of U.S. foreign policy. The U.S. military exists for a very necessary and important reason, and the United States needs the assistance of her allies, not their unjustified resentment and self-righteousness.

CRAIG WESTPHAL

Newbury Park