As a former student at the University
who is now working in
Rhodesia, I follow with interest
the press reports of efforts by Mr.
Page and Legal Forum to bring
Mr Ian Smith to the University
next year.
The position of the State Department
appears quite clear: They
disagree completely with what Mr.
Smith is likely to say and they
will defend to the death their
"right" to prevent his saying it.
The U.S. is certainly no longer
in a position to criticize Rhodesia
for practicing censorship.
According to Mr. John Wrathall,
the Rhodesian Minister of
Finance, six Africans left Rhodesia
on September 10 to accept scholarships
at colleges in the U.S. They
departed with proper U.S. visas
stamped in their post-UDI Rhodesian
passports. The Prime
Minister, however, appears unlikely
to be granted a visa upon
the same type of passport. It
seems that the State Department
either wishes to prevent Mr. Smith
from expressing his views or, perhaps,
(as Mr. Wrathall suggests)
is practicing racial discrimination.
I cannot say that I favor all
of the past and present acts of
Mr. Smith's government. I can,
however, say that Americans need
more information of Rhodesia than
they currently receive through
the final filter in the Editorial
Offices of "The New York Times."
The opportunity to gain this knowledge
from Prime Minister
himself is priceless, and I commend
and encourage all efforts to defeat
the State Department's transparent
and absurd designs.
Stephen K. Thompson
Salisbury, Rhodesia
