Lithuania Suspends Its Independence

Your editorial, which gave reasons for commending the Soviet president on his “deal” with Lithuania, was painful to read. The “deal” you refer to involved the surrender of a fledgling nation that could no longer endure the chokehold placed on it by the muscle-flexing Gorbachev. What you call a deal was nothing less than an act of extortion.

During the course of Lithuania’s quest for independence, Gorbachev showed himself to be an opponent of the right of self-determination, the process of democracy and the value of justice. Yet your editorial concludes that because of the Lithuanian situation, the Soviet president merits Westerners’ admiration. Apparently, the West roots for Gorbachev because he has the cunning ability to make many normally moral people applaud immoral acts.

AURIS JARASUNAS

Santa Monica