Lost art of letter writing and key lessons in history

THE EDITOR, Madam:

A long-time email buddy phoned me at the height of the Gaza crisis and reminded me of a letter to the editor from 15 years ago. A search of my dusty archives turned up the scribbling he mentioned, along with a simultaneous note from the editor in question. Back then, our local twice-weekly community newspaper had an editor named Steve and his assistant Neil, who, between them, always produced most fascinating letters pages. In 2006, when Hezbollah was locked in a five-week war with Israel, Steve and Neil printed all the 84 letters they received concerning that war, including two or three from me. This was before social media, which has sounded the death-knell for many newspapers and severe depletion of many letters pages in publications that have survived. I have always admired people who take their time to comment to editors — who, in turn, deserve admiration for reading all those comments.

Many readers who wrote at that time were understandably emotional and passionate, but some lacked historical and political accuracy about the region. The letter my buddy phoned about was scribbled in response to a few prominent right-wing activists in the community, they required a refresher on a bit of often-overlooked political history. It concerned a meeting between US President Franklin D. Roosevelt (FDR) and Saudi Arabian King Ibn Saud on board USS Quincy in the Suez Canal in 1945. It was not too long before FDR died, with the end of World War II in sight, and they met to discuss tentative plans to create a state of Israel within the British Mandate for Palestine that had been in effect since 1920, following concession by the Ottoman Empire after World War I.

The king gave the stark truth, something many politicians shy away from, telling FDR that European Jews would never be welcomed, or able to live in peace, in the Middle East. He suggested that with Hitler on the verge of defeat, the Western Allies should ensure a part of vanquished Germany be set aside to accommodate a Zionist state. Of course, the king’s suggestion was ignored, and the Middle East remains in religious turmoil. Maybe renowned atheist Karl Marx was correct in saying : “Religion is the opiate of the masses” My email buddy advised that a free 41-page ebook FDR Meets Ibn Saud can be accessed online and was very grateful for such a timely reminder.

BERNIE SMITH

Parksville, BC

Canada