Dear William

THANK you for your well-argued and entertaining letter (March 28).

Gee, poor hard-done-by America, eh? The free world's guardian angels, selflessly sacrificing its own interests to look after those of the rest of the world. And blast those terrible Russians, horrible Chinese and perfidious Frenchmen for not falling down on their knees before the Bastion of Democracy.

Sounds like a script for a bad Spielberg film. Well, fantasy is a nice place to visit but reality is where we live.

And the reality is very different.

My understanding is that the United States owes its very existence to French military and naval assistance during the 18th century War of Independence. So, isn't it a bit churlish of you to boycott French products in the United States?

Britain's involvement in the First World War came about when Imperial Germany, in direct violation of international law, invaded independent Belgium in 1914. Britain intervened to defend a sovereign nation against an international bully. It took "the Land of the Free" three years to enter the war.

Is it true that American text books date the Second World War as lasting from 1941 until 1945? During the previous 27 months, country after country in Europe went down before Hitler and between June 1940 until June 1941 Britain stood alone against the Nazis.

As for Vietnam, America had no business in south-east Asia in the first place. American policy there was to prop up a corrupt and morally bankrupt regime.

I am British and proud to be British and I am really getting quite annoyed about gung-ho imperialists demanding my support for their acts of international terrorism.

When America acts, it almost invariably acts in its own interests. That those interests occasionally correspond with those of Britain and the wider free world is mere coincidence.

NEIL HEAVENS

Oliver Close

The Prinnels, Swindon