Sir. The whole of the sensitive, world must be grateful to you and in particular to your Correspondent Peter Hazelhurst for revealing the enormity of the tragedy of the refugees from East Pakistan. It will remain for an equally courageous Correspondent to lift the curtain on the tragedy that is happening in East Pakistan itself.

Meanwhile I cannot find wholly acceptable the suggestion, particularly by Louis Heren, that the world has only just woken up to this tragedy, for I am afraid that it is India which has only just woken up.

Six weeks ago two of my colleagues and I had an interview with the Permanent Secretary of India's Ministry of Health who happened to be leading his country's delegation to the World Health Organization Assembly in Geneva. At that time he assured us that there was no undue cause for alarm, that all the medicaments necessary were available and that his government's only needs were all the dried milk that couid be supplied and four ambulances. We were promised a further "shopping list’’ of any other needs which we have not received. Let me add that the World Council of Churches' Emergency Officer returned with the same "no panic” impression when he visited India in the very early stages.

I think it fair, therefore, to balance the alleged indifference of the international community, be it statutory or voluntary, against the premature optimism of the Indian Authorities themselves. Most of the voluntary agencies were quite early pressed to accept funds which, under Indian advice at that time they would not know how to spend. This is not a time for recrimination, but rather a time for correcting the mistakes we have all made and concentrating our efforts to save all the lives we can in this terrible disaster.

Yours etc.
ELFAN REES.
Advisor, Refugee Affairs,
World Council of Churches,
Geneva.
June 9.