THROUGHOUT the 1930s it was those of the political left who opposed the fascists in Spain and desired Britain go to war to stop Hitler, while those of the political right not only funded Spanish fascism, but opposed war with Hitler as they had supported him financially and ideologically to such a degree that the British Union of Fascists began as branch of the Conservative party.

Of the five million non-Jews murdered in Nazi concentration camps, millions were of the political left, including socialists, communists, Marxists and trade unionists, while an estimated 29 million Russian communists died fighting Hitler's desire to bring about their racial genocide.

Is the implied claim by columnist Peter Mullen (Echo, May 15) that Hitler wasn't right-wing simply because his party was called "National Socialist" the result of ignorance, stupidity, the onset of senility or yet another case of his right-wing revisionism?

Equally, why does Mr Mullen never mention that Hitler was a Christian who often used God to justify his actions while Stalin, before becoming a Communist, had trained as a priest, which must have had an influence on his actions?

CT Riley, Spennymoor, Co Durham.