January 3, 2001

Dear Sir,

Give the Americans a break.

All this bickering about what the US Government should do in cleaning up the former bases here, bothers me.

Look at it in this way, if the American Government had not come to Bermuda in the first place during the Second World War, Bermuda would never have had the lifestyle that it enjoys today.

The US Government built our International Airport by dredging out Castle Harbour and Ferry Reach to make land for the airport to be built upon; they spent millions upon millions of dollars on this project. They joined islands together in St. David's. They rebuilt the causeway road, and put in a bridge there.

I say let sleeping dogs lie, forget about the clean-up of those bases, look upon the positives that we enjoy today from what we have received from a government that has provided us with the lifestyle we are enjoying today.

At a time when a safe habour was needed for US Naval ships, the US Government built or made the North Channel from Murray's anchorage to the US Naval Base (now Morgan's Point).

They spent some three years dredging this channel, blowing up reefs that were in the way, making the Stag Channel wider.

Now you see large ships like the Queen Elizabeth 2 being able to come here, and birth alongside at Kings Wharf, only because the American government made this North Channel.

The US Army Engineers built the South Shore road from the Middle road junction to around the area of Elbow Beach; it was only a dirt track prior to that.

The US Navy provided a Fire Service to our Western Parishes (free of charge). There was only a small Fire Service in Hamilton and St. George's at the time.

So I say agian, let's think about leaving this clean-up idea alone, and be "thankful" for small mercies that the US Government provided us with.

PETER F. BROMBY

Hamilton Parish