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Second Class Mail Registration Number 5540 PAGE 6 â€" WATERLOO CHRONICLE, WEDNESDAY, MAY 11. Of the many things Prime Minister Trudeau may be accused of, especially in recent years, one that most certainly would not stand up is stupidity. _ _ . It was certainly no surprise then to receive the news this week that in lieu of a response to all the personal letters of protest re the testing of cruise missiles in Canada and his views on disarmament, Trudeau has sent an open letter to Canadians through all newspaper editors explaining his position and the role Canada has/does/will play in world peace. The letter is nothing short of brilliant in its logical and concise analysis of Canada‘s attempts in the past to propose the "suffocation‘‘ of nuclear weaponry and the course of direction we were forced to take with NATO allies when that proposal was rejected by the Soviet Union. The twoâ€"track system adopted by NATO, essentially negotiating for peace while at the same time counterbalancing Soviet nuclear strength through the deployment of missiles in Western Europe, has obviously resulted in the multitude of protests re cruise missle testing in Alberta. Though it would be unfair to attempt to paraphrase Trudeau‘s open letter in this short space, its underlying message can easily be summed up in two paragraphs enclosed within. He labels the antiâ€"Americanism of some Canadians an attitude verging on hypocrisy, since those people ‘"are eager to take refuge under the American umbrelia (of protection) but don‘t want to help hold it.‘"" And later, he points out that "history should have taught us that to refuse to risk one‘s life in defence of liberty is to risk losing liberty, without any guarantee of saving one‘s life." Can there be any real learned debate of that statgment? . But Trudeau‘s open letter is not a blanket admonition of the attitudes of our people, merely an attempt to place a greater degree of understanding among the masses and also of note, spiced with sensitive appeciation of the need for an accent on bumanitarianism. No doubt, militant pacifists will repudiate the letter as hogwash, Trudeauâ€"bashers will deny it as yet another smokescreen, and likely many newspaper editors will scoff at its sincerity. longâ€"running melodrama called The Liberâ€" als Ride Again â€" And Again â€" And Again, was the naming of one Paul Hellyer as Minister of Defence, back in the Pearson days. _ He,. or one of his illâ€"advised advisors, came up with a gimmick bound to gather headlines. â€" _ At least one, however, appreciates its intent, and rests comfortably with the belief that indeed, the head of our country loves this planet just as much as we do. ONE of the greatest pieces of miscasting (and there have been many) in that Hellyer‘s qualifications were awesome: ambition; an abysmal lack of knowledge of things military; a total insensitivity toward anything not affecting his own career and ambition. But Minister of Defence, in peaceâ€"time, is a rather tame, backwater spot. Hellyer had to do something to force himself into the limelight. â€"It wasn‘t quite as dramatic as Moses parting the Red Sea, but his scheme, and scheme it was, propelied the political A political opportunist from the word go, he leapt at the chance to be Defence Minister, as a step toward his next ambition, Minister of Finance, and an easy shuffle from there, with a little nudging, political knifing, and treading on tender toes, into the BIG JOB. If you love BILL SMILEY published every Wednesday by Fairway Press, a division of Kitchenerâ€"Waterioo Record Ltd., owner 225 Fairway Rd.S., Kitchener, Ont. Wateriloo Chronicle office is located in the Harper , Hapcy and White Ae o m ie n e eetmine w 1 [ Law Office Building (rear entrance, upper floor) Parking at the rear‘ of the building. Open Monday to Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m address correspondence to Waterloo office: 45 Erb St. E., Waterioo, Ont. N2J 1L7, telephone 886â€"2830 climber onto the front pages. Hellyer‘s plan was simple, as simpleâ€" ton‘s plans often are. It was to destroy the morale of the fighting forces by rolling navy, army and air force into a glutinous ball, stuffing it into a plasticâ€"greenâ€"bagâ€" colored uniform, and declaring from the housetops that Canada was the first country in the world to unify its armed forces. It wasn‘t promoted as destruction, of course. The PR machine ran smoothly. The plot would increase efficiency, save money, improve communications, create instant pie in the sky, and stop serviceâ€" men‘s noses running. When Hellyer went to work on Canada‘s proud armed forces, an axe in one hand and a sledgehammer in the other, almost singleâ€"handedly he accomplished what Germans had not managed in two world wars â€" send those forces reeling into disarray, dismay and despondency, from which they have never recovered. Esprit de corps was turned into dispiritâ€" ed corpse. Tradition was swept into the scuppers. Proud regimental names were trampled underfoot. Color and gallantry and high standards and selfâ€"sacrifice were Publisher: Paul Winkler Manager: Bill Karges Editor: Rick Campbell established 1854 "They (residents) considered it a community issue. I‘m concerned about the neighborhood and that‘s my responsibility."‘ Waterloo mayor Marjorie Carroll responding to criticism levelled at her by Board of Education trustees re the Brighton school closing issue. o\ put into the mincer, and came out as the dullâ€"green Canadian Armed Forces. _ _ Hellyer has a lot to answer for, but his ego, and the murky twilight of politics, will combine to cloud this petty piece of polâ€" troonery. What is unfathomable is that the Canaâ€" dian public, so recently so proud of their seamen, soldiers, airmen, sat back and watched with utter lassitude. Or perhaps they were smothered in the smoke screens laid down by Admiral Hellyer. What is even more astounding is that the armed forces put up with it. If such a thing were attempted in Britain, the fleet would mutiny, the army would rebel, and the air force would drop a couple on Whitehall. Can vou imagine the enormous fooâ€" fawraw in the U.S. if some political upstart tried to pull such a deal? The resultant clamor would resound from the very heavâ€" ens. A few, a very few senior officers in Canada‘s forces, mostly navel men, fought back. They were promptly purged. Not garotted, or shot. Simply retired early. _ Since Hellyer‘s hatchet job, the Canaâ€" dian forces have gone steadily, and not slowly, downhill. It is written When he began, we had one of the four or five best navies in the world, about the third largest airforce, and an army that had fought with the best of them and stood their ground. Canada‘s NATO forces became a laughâ€" ingâ€"stock. Canada became known as a country that wanted a firstâ€"class ride for a thirdâ€"class ticket. And Pierre Trudeau, who managed to avoid any conflict except with his wife and the Tories, didn‘t give a diddle. Hellyer‘s rocket fizzled, of course, beâ€" cause there wasn‘t enough powder to keep it aloft. He ran for the Liberal leadership, was creamed. He started a party of his own, which vanished into thin air, he turned his coat, went to the Tories, ran for leader, and was creamed again. No regret for that. But the stench he cre%ed lingers after him; the damage he did is almost irreversible. I can hardly wait to get my hands on a book by Admifral Brock, telling it like it is. And I‘ll shoot a copy to my brother, the Colonel, Distinguished Flying Cross, who left this country in disgust after serving it for years, in combat and afterwards. M 3 â€" SEE PAGE 10