It is urgently necessary to take issue with the tenor of the two full-page articles published in your editions of 11 December and 1 January by Tony Hodges on the QUESTIOn OT AnCOld Without doubt comrade Hodges is well intormed Tactually and provides readers with much valuadle material about the situation in tnat country particularly about the intervention of the south African military and the Us backed Zairean forces on the side of the FLA-UNITA alliance. But his analysis consists largely of sterile formulae such as 'MPLA is not a marxist movement', MPLA leaders have no intention of carrying through a socialist revolution in Anoola etc.
Of course we do not argue with these easily verifiable facts. But the point is not what is in the head of Agostinho Neto or in the paper programme of MPLA. but what is the class compos ition of that movement's base and the potential dynamic involved in its actions.
And it is only by examining these that one can begin to understand why it is that the USA and South Africa along with neighbouring neo-colonialist reaimes like those or mobutu zaire. and Kaunda (Zambia), are working might and main to frustrate MPLA's victory. The material which comrade Hodges offers us actually makes their concern in particular quite inexplicable Two agents of imperialism: FLA leader Roberto (left) and UNITA leader Savimbi has, however unconsciously, been drawn into a position which implicitly equates the aid of the workers states to the objectively more progressive wing of the liberation movement with that of the imperialists to their direct agents in UNITA and FNLA!
analysis appear the more starkly to us because the two articles in Red Weekly bear an uncanny resemblance to the sort of material to which we have been subjected in the past three months by the Zambian media, whose 'non-aligned' stance is designed to back the totally reactionary line to which we reterred at least some elements in cambia and in many other African countries (eg. the students of Nigeria and Ghana, who are demanding the provision of personnel and equipment to fight on the side of MPLA) who have recognised the need to bring every possible assistance to MPLA.
of Zambia, who are currently trying to build a solidarity campaign in clear opposition to Ine pro-imperianst une ou their government, would find material like these two articles in Red Weekly not just unhelpful but totally disorienting in the struggle to evolve a correct position. Of much more relevance would be the appearance of news of the activities and development of the British Angola Solidarity Committee, whose first meeting was pictured in Red Weekly of 18 December. Such material would make a positive contribution towards developing une necessary internationa support movement to ensure the victory of MPLA.
JOHN BLAIR Pernaps comrade noages errors or earlier. Meanwhile there are, fortunately, President Mobutu of Zaire-as US front-man in Africa, gave consistent support to FNLA