How Sincere Are Soviet Reform Efforts?

Regarding the article "Lithuania Anticipates Kremlin Clash," June 5: The Soviet prosecutor's report on the January killings in Vilnius, mentioned in the article, is radically at odds with the accounts of Western eyewitnesses. The Soviets' continued use of the Big Lie raises grave doubts regarding the sincerity of Mikhail Gorbachev's pronouncements in favor of reform, particularly since his recent performance in this area has been rather lackluster.It could well be that glasnost and perestroika were conceived for the purpose of strategic deception, as alleged by KGB defector Anatoly Golitsyn, but once events were set in motion they accumulated such momentum that Gorbachev lost control. A careful evaluation of all the available evidence may show this scenario to be more plausible than that of Gorbachev as the democratic reformer. The implications with respect to the granting of massive aid to the Soviet Union are obvious. N. L. Wielkiewicz, Schenectady, N.Y.

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