I THE RUSSIAN VISIT Effects behind the Iron Curtain

FROM FR. HAROLD RIGNEY, S.V.D.
Sir — Anent the scheduled viait af Bulganin and Krusehev to Great Britain, I should like to point out one of the grave consequences of their visit and royal reeeption, which, to my knowledge, has not been adequately comprehended in this country.
I do not believe the visit of these two representatives of the Soviet Union will do much harm In Great Britain. because the people of the United Kingdom are well aware of the instrineic malice of Marxist Communism and the firm intent of the adherents of this system to overthrow every government in the world that is not a Moscowcontrolled Communist government. But this visit and the royal reception which the government Of the United Kingdom is arranging for Her Majesty the Queen to grant to these visitors will do great harm to the 900 million people behind the Iron Curtain, and many will be led to consider Her Majesty as co-operating in an act of oppression of these unfortunate people.
It seems quite certain that the
Moscow-controlled Communist press from East Berlin to North Korea will fill their papers and periodicals with editorials, news reports and articles — and their radios will be loud with broadcasts — all hammering home the idea that the visit of Bulganin arid Khruschev to Great Britain and especially their royal recept'ion are indisputable evidence that the United Kingdom ie sympathetic towards and supports the Soviet Union and its satellites and is ripe and ready to join the Communist group of nations. This propaganda will tend to crush or weaken the already dwindling hopes of hundreds of millions behind the Iron Curtain for their liberation from the inhuman system of Communist governments.
The writer of this letter was 6 years and 8 months under the Communist regime of China, 4 years and 2 months of which were unjustly spent in Communist prisons in Peking. During this period, in and out of prison, he had ample opportunities to observe how the Communist press and radio seized every occasion to distort various world events so as to impress upon the hundreds of millions behind thp Iron Curtain that one or more countries were ripe for the Communist revolution and would soon join the Moscow-controlled group of Communist countries. Such news items given out by the Communists greatly depressed untold millions of the Chinese population.
(Very Rev.) Harold W. Rigney, S.V.D. Rector, Fit Jon Catholic University. Peking, (now under Communist control.) Sir — Many Catholics must be wondering how we can use the forthcoming visit of the Soviet Leaders to the best advantage.
My suggestions are two in number. Firstly, during their visit, could we not make a National Novena to Our Lady of Fatima for the conversion of Russia and the Communist world in general? Secondly could not thousands of leaflets about Fatima be distributed to non-Catholics. particularly in those places which these two unwelcome guests are to visit?
Francis D. Clarke. Osterley, Isleworth, Sir — With regard to the forthcoming visit of the Russian leaders to this country, would it not be possible to urge all priests to remind their congregations that. the prayers said at the foot of the altar after Mass are for the conversion of Russia.
I realise that in the majority of Churches this intention is already announced, but there remain many in which these prayers are started with no introduction at all. It takes only two or three seconds to say: s Let us pray for the conversion of Russia a, yet who knows what untold good might result if we were all to make this intention a little more fervently?
Frances A. McHugh.