ANOTHER VIEW OF PEACE NOBELIST GORBACHEV

Author: By David Nyhan, Globe Staff

Date: Sunday, June 9, 1991
Page: A25
Section: FOCUS

As Mikhail Gorbachev accepted the Nobel Peace Prize Thursday, I read the following letter from Lithuania: "How did Gorbachev slew us." The text, misspellings and all, speaks for itself:

"January 15. Writting this letter, I stand with one foot in the kitchen, where works emergensy radio set and with the other one in the room, where is working only left Kaunas TV set. Music Vivaldi flows in the air. Burn candle.

"It is already the third day of national mourning for victims -- 14 young men, girls and even children -- slain by cut-throat paratroopers, sent by Nobel Peace Prize winner Gorbachev. Wounded 331, badly wounded 26, missed about 70. Today Lithuania looks like a big war camp. Trouble the defenders are unarmed. They guard and defend the governmental, press, broadcast etc. objects with their breasts.

"That night January 12-13 I was with several thousend of people on the guard of the Vilnius TV tower. Our tactics were: surround the TV tower by 12 circles, being coupled by hands. That winter night was mild. The youth singing and dancing, the children burning camp-fire, the elder ones offering prayers and chant -- so we spent a half of night. It was singing revolution.

"At 0200 hours Vilnius time rumbling of tanks was heard. At once resounded: 'To your places! Form close order!' One young girl, seeing in me an aging man, pushed me into background and took stand in the front line herself. All scaned Lie-tu-va! Lie-tu-va! The 10 tanks and as much again of armed weecles -- armoured troopcarriers -- commenced to surround us and press to the wall of tower, firing cannons, machin-guns. Deafening. Behind tanks advanced paratroopers, about 200 men, firing Kalashnikovs point-blank, hurling explosive under feet, beating with butt-stocks and rods, bayoneting.

"Men, girls died before eyes but do not made a way for commis tanks. I -- a veteran of armed resistance against Bolshevics -- cried of despair, having no weapon. Even Molotov coctail was forbidden by our authority. I was striked by distorted face of soldiers, whiles they under searchlight and covered by tanks, have attacked unarmed people. Even woundeds were bayoneted. Many of the soldiers were from Middle Asia. They remembered cruel Marokesha, written in 'Farewell to Arms.' No. Mistake. Exaktly in "For whom the bell toll." They say that paratroopers were given special drugs for courage against the unarmed. An Afhganistan experience. . . .

"So the Nobel Peace Prize winner used ten means for killing peaceful and unarmed Lithuanians -- men, women, children. Enumerate modes of killing: 1. squashing by catterpillars of tanks 2. shooting by cannons of tanks 3. machine-gun fire 4. firing Kalashnikovs with the bullets dum-dum 5. blasting packages 6. tear gas 7. beating by butt stock of Kalashnikovs 8. beating with rods 9. bayoneting l0. kicking by soldiers boots.

"The scenario of the putsch, as has cleared up, was primitive and rude: to take power by Army and pass it to the remains of Gorbachev's commparty, chiefly -- Bolshevist-minded Russian colonists and several Lithuanian Quislings.

"Dear American reader, you should not be naive. The blood-stained, as say Christians, see mark on his forehead. Gorbi is the same criminal as Hussein. He is more dangerous, because he is in command of twenty million commis, has biggest all over the world army and one-sixth territory of the planet. Baltic states are left alone against this imperialist because we have no oil.

"The Lithuanian girl has died under catterpillars of soulless machine . . . but she did not yield to fascists. Her half-open bloodstained lips had hardened on the last syllable: 'Lie tu. . .' Victims were not in vain. They united the nation. The whole of Republic is on guard. People publicly burn Soviet passports, military cards, rewards. There is no retreat for us. Behind is Baltica. God with us. I hear shooting. The enemy chastisers are hunting for hidding recruits." It ended.

Gorbachev told the Nobel audience that Western journalists exaggerated the brutality of the Soviet military crackdown.

His denials are about as convincing as President Reagan's during the Iran- contra coverup. Lies begin to stink as soon as they hit the air. The day Gorbachev copped his Nobel prize, our sneering scorekeeper of capitalism, The Wall Street Journal, ran an editorial suggesting Ronald Reagan deserved the Peace Prize the Swedes handed the Soviet chief. The Journal's news columns carried two whole sentences of Gorbachev's acceptance.

What seems to be the bottom line is that Gorbachev is the West's ally of convenience, trying to wrench the Soviet oxcart out of the muddy ditch that is communist theory. But Gorbachev's denials of brutality in Lithuania are no more convincing than Reagan's denials of stupidity in Iran-contra. Politicians as a class often choke on a hard truth.

PRITCH;06/06 NIGRO ;06/10,10:17 NYH09B