Another road to peace

Mgr. Bruce Kent (January I 1), in underscoring the manifold social evils resulting from the crushing expenditure on armaments, adds that Christians are being forced "to look for another road to peace."
As most Catholics know, it was made clear by Our Lady at Fatima that the root cause of the present world crisis is sin, and that if her requests were heeded (fulfilment of spiritual duty and the means to achieve this, viz., daily Rosary and consecration to her Immaculate Heart), Russia would be converted and as a consequence, the backbreaking armaments race would disappear.
Must we seek an alternative to God's answer to the present impasse'?
Francis W. Johnston "Burnaby", 8 Chapelmere Close, Sandbac h, Cheshire.
Defence Budget
As a military lobbyist may I correct some of Mgr. Bruce Kent's facts (January 11). Our defence budget is not "our largest item of national expenditure" since the education budget already exceeds £4,000 million.
Of a defence budget of £3,365 million nearly half — £1,587 million — is absorbed by pay,
allowances and pensions for the 371,000 people in the Armed Forces. Further. with Mr. Barber's mini-budget, defence expenditure — the most essential national expenditure which people cannot undertake for themselves — was cut by five per cent.
Though a heart-appealing comparison, only the most naive would believe that the nonexpenditure of £3 million on a Phantom fighter bomber would release resources in material and labour suitable to construct 700 council houses of an equivalent value.
Finally, as a percentage of our Gross National Product our defence budget is not "the largest in Western Europe". 1 he latest edition of the Military Balance shows it to be the second largest.
Ronald King Editor, Warfare 4 Boscombe Avenue, London, E. I C).