http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/letters/2010/0119/1224262632345.html
Irish Times January 19, 2010 Letter Use of Shannon by US troops Madam – The release and detailed coverage of the official papers for the year 1979 may help equip ordinary citizens with a reality-based appreciation of their State’s evolving orientation. A striking contrast occurs. In 1979, official unease arose at a US request to allow 12,000 troops to pass through Shannon following a Nato exercise in Germany. An explicit concern was whether Ireland’s traditional military neutrality would be “compromised”. Fast-forward 30 years. In 2009, 243,000 US combat troops passed through Shannon. Arguably the documented 1979 precedent may belong historically in a Cold War context. Nevertheless, an apparent sea-change developed over the next three decades. “Educate that you may be free” (Thomas Davis). – Yours, etc, JA BARNWELL, St Patrick’s Road, Dublin 9 =========================== Stop NATO http://groups.yahoo.com/group/stopnato Blog site: http://rickrozoff.wordpress.com/ To subscribe, send an e-mail to: rwroz...@yahoo.com or stopnato-subscr...@yahoogroups.com Daily digest option available. ==============================
