Letters: Nov. 30, 1981

AWACS

To the Editors:

President Reagan’s incredible victory in the AWACS controversy [Nov. 9] is proof of his strength and leadership. He must be admired for his persuasive powers and his ability to withstand and deal with unpopular issues.

Elsie Kendis Philadelphia

On the day after the Senate approved the AWACS deal, the Saudis raised the price of their oil. We are not only going to sell AWACS planes, we are going to pay for them as well.

Douglas V. Commerce Merritt Island, Fla.

Your articles about the sale of AWACS to Saudi Arabia make it seem as if the only issue was Israel’s security. The major point is that we have sold sophisticated secret equipment to an unstable regime that still countenances slavery, mutilation and racial and religious prejudice. Saudi Arabia is run by a benighted oligarchy that is likely to be overthrown in the near future, with the weapons we have sent them falling into hostile hands. Moreover, the Saudis have shown little willingness to cooperate in finding some rational and fair solution not only to the continuing Middle East crisis but also to the world’s economic crisis. That’s not oil vs. the Jews; it’s oil vs. the world.

George E. Ehrlich Philadelphia

If Israel played cat and mouse with the U.S.S.R., it would receive much more consideration. Instead, it is paying the price for unwavering loyalty to the U.S.

Albert Cohen Oklahoma City

Your magazine falsely reported that I promised President Reagan my vote in favor of the sale of AWACS planes if the vote in the Senate was close. To the contrary, I told President Reagan that I would not commit my vote one way or the other until I had heard the debate in the Senate chamber.

Your magazine also made the insidious implication that I may have offered my vote in exchange for backing of sugar-price supports. At no time did I, the President, or anyone speaking for his side propose a deal of any sort.

Russell B. Long U.S. Senator, Louisiana

Memorializing Viet Nam

The jury for the Viet Nam memorial competition has chosen well [Nov. 9]. Good design need not shout to be heard.

Elite Huggins Glen Ellyn, Ill.

As a Viet Nam veteran, I think the winning entry for the Viet Nam memorial is a loser. The proposed monument may satisfy the needs of the Washington Mall but it fails to impart what the war meant to those who fought it. In 1968 newsmagazines printed a photo of a U.S. army tank carrying soldiers wounded in Hue during the Tet offensive. That picture says more about the pain and sacrifice Americans suffered than the proposed “hole in the ground.”

Randy Holyday Denver

The Viet Nam design looks as if the earth’s mantle is being picked up like a rug so the memory of that struggle can be swept underneath.

Richard C. Hippner St. James, N. Y.

The proposed monument to commemorate the Viet Nam War and its veterans looks so peaceful. I suggest one addition: a statue of an American rifleman pointing toward the White House with the inscription NEVER AGAIN WILL SO MANY GIVE SO MUCH FOR SO LITTLE.

C. Scott Calvert Timonium, Md.

Piracy and Rape

The Thai government’s claim that it has insufficient funds and manpower to stop the piracy against the Vietnamese boat people [Nov. 9] is fallacious. Bangkok simply lacks the will to do anything about it. Perhaps it considers piracy an effective means to deter the flow of Vietnamese refugees into Thailand.

Vu Qui Due Austin

Why are the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, the International Committee of the Red Cross and the U.S. Government attempting an antipiracy campaign by channeling funds through the same corrupt regime that allows and encourages this abominable behavior by its fishermen-pirates?

Volunteers are waiting on the shores to receive these victims, only to be frustrated, if not prevented from helping, by boat merchants and local authorities. Working through the Thai government is like feeding the mouth that bites.

Sarah Lanier Atlanta

As a Thai citizen, I feel sorrow and regret for what happened to the Viet Nam boat girls in the Thai Sea. However, I am uneasy about the fact that Thailand, which has many serious problems of its own, must now care for some 300,000 Indochinese refugees.

How can anyone expect a small, developing country like mine to provide for all these people when the U.S., the richest nation, does not contribute sufficient funds to help?

Nipada Devakul Chestnut Hill, Mass.

Presidential Image

Your Essay, “Fluctuations on the Presidential Exchange” [Nov. 9], neglected to give Richard Nixon credit for bringing the struggle in Viet Nam to a halt.

Albert Harper London, Ont.

In speculating on whether Harry Truman might join the untouchables, it should be noted that his Administration dealt with 48 complex states and countless millions throughout the world. In Jefferson’s and Washington’s day our country was but a ribbon along the Eastern seaboard. Lincoln also presided during simpler times, holding together 36 predominantly agrarian states with a population of under 40 million.

John Hulston Springfield, Mo.

You failed to recognize one of Lyndon Johnson’s many domestic achievements: the Civil Rights Act of ’64.

Margo O’Conner Monmouth Beach, N.J.

Unwed and Pregnant

After reading the article on the tremendous rise of illegitimate births and abortions [Nov. 9], I see that easy access to birth control and abortion has not helped solve this problem. Too often human life is viewed as disposable or worthless unless related to our needs. Until we accept all human life as having value, illegitimacy will continue to rise.

Barbara J. Grygleski Tomah, Wis.

Specialists say teen-agers are unable “to understand the use of contraceptives or the consequences of non-use.” This is ridiculous. Young people can understand. The real problem is the older generation’s inability to teach our youth the hows and whys of contraception. Because we Americans find our children’s sexuality embarrassing, we would rather accept the plight of unmarried teen-age mothers—and hold ourselves blameless.

William Spolar St. Cloud, Minn.

When Canada’s population needed a boost, it rewarded new mothers with cash. What we need now is the reverse. For every year a girl between twelve and 22 does not have a baby, she should receive a reward of $1,000 from the Government. This might discourage the youngster whose chief aim in having a baby is to set up housekeeping on her own, usually at the taxpayer’s expense.

Mary T. McEvoy Minneapolis

As with most articles about pregnant teenagers, your article mentions nothing about the fathers of the illegitimate offspring. Am I missing something, or can a woman, teen-age or otherwise, become pregnant all by herself?

Marian François Cambridge, Mass.

Battered Judges

It is not surprising that public outrage took the shape of “Open Season on the Judiciary” [Nov. 9] in the case of Honolulu’s Circuit Judge Harold Shintaku. When Shintaku threw out the jury’s murder verdict and allowed a notorious criminal to go free, he was declaring open season on the citizen-victim.

John Degatina Los Angeles

Car Costs

Instead of charging more and more for its cars [Nov. 9], and wasting money on rebate plans and advertising, why doesn’t Detroit have a half-price sale? Any smart merchandiser knows that most people will buy anything at 50% off. Surely the automakers would rather move cars for some return instead of stockpiling and getting no money.

Margaret C. Biggs Lexington, Mass.

Bumping Bumpers

On the debate over how strong automobile bumpers should be [Nov. 2], before World War II, all cars could survive much more than a 5-m.p.h. thud without damage to the body. Bumpers were made out of spring steel. They were what they should be, bumpers. If a 21-m.p.h. requirement is allowed, we’d better not kick or accidentally touch one when we are walking along at 3 m.p.h.

Darius D. Buell Elmira, Mich.