SYMPATHY

To the Editors of the CRIMSON:

While few right-minded persons would defend the Nationalist regime in South Africa, nevertheless, I should like to clarify several points in your recent editorial. As a self-governing member of the Common wealth of Nations, the Union of South Africa is not one of "Europe's colonies," as your editorial seems to imply. Your writer, furthermore, adopts an unwarranted tone of self-righteousness in describing the British oppression of the natives. One might recall that the United States also reduced its native (Indian) population to a "most abject squalor and poverty."

Further evidence of British "oppression" was the abolition of slavery in 1934, (cf. U.S. in 1863) which was one of the initial causes of British-Boer hostility. Although the Boer War may have been an act of imperialism, the conquest of the Boers has been described as the most magnanimous in history. In addition, the United Party, which has tried to assist the natives, is not "British-dominated," but contains Boer elements, including its leader, Mr. Strauss. While we cannot but deplore the racism in South Africa, we must also realize the difficult situation in which, the white population finds itself; this might be compared, in some ways, to American colonial times, when Indians outnumbered settlers. South Africa may have produced its Malans, but it has also produced men like Jan Christian Smuts. Americans should realize that South Africa cannot be judged by American standards, and a more sympathetic attitude to the country as a whole and to those elements which are opposing Malan's extra-constitutional measures would be desirable. William Herridge '53

In one of its editions, the CRIMSON published an account of an interview by its reporter, Malcolm D. Rivkin, with Gordon Hall, a Boston writer and lecturer. In this article, Mr. Hall was quoted as saying that William F. Buckley, Jr. was "even more of a fascist than he's cracked up to be."

The CRIMSON had no such evidence concerning Mr. Buckley and no grounds for believing such evidence exists. In the circumstances, the CRIMSON desires to record that the expressed views were not the views of the CRIMSON or Mr. Rivkin and the CRIMSON regrets publication of the account. We are also advised by Mr. Hall and Mr. Rivkin that they also regret the misrepresentation.