July 4
Sirs:
I write to congratulate you on the fact that via air mail I received my copy of TIME dated July 6 at the above address on July 4. It is a great accomplishment and advantage to me to be kept so up-to-date with American affairs. . . .
May I take this opportunity of also congratulating you on producing one of the finest publications in the world. Many have tried to copy you, but for heaven's sake don't copy them.
C. DERRY
London
Grotesque
Sirs:
Thank you for printing the only articles I have seen of late which have attempted to explain and defend General Douglas MacArthur in the unhappy position in which he finds himself. . . . Like, I imagine, many others who have been deeply puzzled and chagrined by the lack of action in Australia, I read your articles with great interest. . . . The deep silence on the part of the daily press has given an . . . unfortunate impression. . . .
I doubt if the President wanted this state of affairs when he sent MacArthur to Australia, but perhaps he doesn't want to cope with any more unpleasantness than is necessary at this time. . . . But how grotesque that a man of such magnificent qualities and achievements, and such a wealth of worldwide experience should become the Forgotten Man, while men often of lesser equipment, some of whom had served as his aides not so long ago, are given exalted posts! . . .
M. F. MACLEOD New York City
TIME and Axel Wenner-Gren
Sirs:
Referring to an article concerning me in TIME, June 29, I feel impelled in justice to myself and to your readers to make the following statement:
Being acquainted with Mr. Henry Luce, it was out of courtesy to him that I consented to receive your representative, stipulating, however, that any conversation between us was to be off the record and absolutely not for publication.
I leave it to you to judge the manner in which this understanding was respected. I can further state that the character of the article in question is as far from the spirit of our conversation as the "quotations" attributed to me are incorrect and misleading.
A person, blacklisted for some obscure and unrevealed reason, might be misquoted, misunderstood and persecuted. But knowing well the American spirit of fair play and justice, I am satisfied that all good Americans will withhold their judgment until I have been accorded a hearing and my side of the story is permitted to be revealed.
Trusting that you will publish this communication in extenso, I am,
AXEL WENNER-GREN
Mexico, D.F.
> Sweden's Axel Wenner-Gren has long been one of the most interesting figures on the international stage. His recent activities so greatly interested the U.S. State Department that after he turned up in Mexico last year, the Department blacklisted him.
TIME'S correspondent sought him with no reference whatever to Editor Luce. TIME is satisfied that, whether or not Axel Wenner-Gren has been misunderstood, he was not misquoted. For accuracy's sake, he was asked to repeat quotations twice. Those that were off the record were kept so.
As for the American spirit of fair play, TIME feels that it was well maintained in its story.--ED.
Rome Incident (Cont'd)
Sirs:
TIME merits a Civil Liberties "S" for Service. "The Rome Incident" (re: Roland Hayes, TIME, July 27) was well reported, even though the unpleasant moral was left to inference. . . .
In order to commemorate this recent newsworthy event, I suggest that the town of Rome be renamed "Heydrich." . . .
FRANK NEWMAN
Cold Spring Harbor, L.I.
> Rome, Ga. is a long way from deserving the name Heydrich. But the incident is a good warning to all U.S. citizens, white and colored, to be mutually forbearing for their mutual good.--ED.
Sirs:
This is the first time I have ever written a letter to an editor. I enjoy and have enjoyed TIME magazine for a long time. I frequently get peeved at what I read there, often get mad, and yesterday, damn if I didn't blow up.
I am referring to your story on the incident that took place in Rome, Ga. . . .
The segregation of the colored race isn't the question in this case at all. I am not trying to set myself up to judge whether that is right or wrong. All I know is that there is accepted segregation, and when the Hayes woman refused to abide by the rules governing her race she was entirely to blame for the consequences.
As to the unidentified man in civilian clothes who attacked Hayes, I would agree with any criticism cast his way, but I think you realize what type person he probably was, and I imagine you have many of the same type in the great and liberal North.
GEORGE MCDUFFIE Atlanta, Ga.
"China's Sorrow"
Sirs:
Is it possible that the Yellow River has changed its course stealthily since I left China last autumn? Could it have been a military secret? Or is James Cutter's map in your July 13 issue a prediction?
More TIME-worthy is the unusual, accurate method of showing Jap-occupied areas in China. Most maps do an injustice to loyal Chinese guerrillas who control vast tracts within so-called occupied territory. It's good to see a more discriminating paint brush.
RANDOLPH RAVEN
San Jose, Calif.
> Unpredictable is the Yellow's fickle course. In the last 100 years "China's Sorrow" has wandered about 700 miles up & down the China coast. After the Battle of Taierhchwang (1938) the Chinese, not nature, broke the south dyke and sent the wayward river against the Jap invader, into the course it still pursues.--ED.
Arkansas Salvos
Sirs:
Let me be just another Arkansan who appreciated your splendid comment [TIME, July 27] on our State. We happen to be the location where the Midwesterners have been coming duck hunting for years, also the home of the National Duck Calling Contest. Stuttgart is proud of its latest honor in being chosen as the site of a $9,000,000 air base. . . .
L. J. MAILHES
Stuttgart, Ark.
Sirs:
. . . Our one regret is that it is not longer! . . . We believe that this type of article on our good State is just another example that TIME is out in front . . . and we trust this will set the tempo and the style for future salvos Arkansasward. . . .
D. HODSON LEWIS
Little Rock, Ark.
Sirs:
. . . When I began reading I thought about the only thing TIME could do would be to add more fuel to the flame. When I saw the head of the article, my fever went up three or four degrees. Gradually, however, I cooled off and finally ended in a glow of pride and satisfaction. . . .
STORM WHALEY
Station KUOA Siloam Springs, Ark.
Sirs:
You have anointed the wounds of those who know and love Arkansas with healing oil! . . .
BETTY R. CURTIS Texarkana, Tex.
Sirs:
I was recently inducted into the Armored Force at Camp Chaffee, Ark. As vice president of a Philadelphia concern, I probably would never have had occasion to visit the State of Arkansas, and Arkansas would have remained backwoods to me.
In gratitude to the people of Fort Smith . . . for their understanding and hospitality, may I state that Arkansas is delightful, this particular section perfectly beautiful. The people are of a natural kindness, sincere, well educated, and speak a remarkably pure English. There is much tradition too; people stay put and things are made to last--a pleasant contrast to that here-today-gone-tomorrow atmosphere so prevalent in many other parts of our country.
SERGEANT JOHN VAN STIRUM
Camp Chaffee, Ark.
Wide World
Sirs:
. . . We were greatly disturbed by an erroneous and damaging statement contained in TIME, July 27. . . . Referring to Thurman Arnold's purported plans to initiate proceedings against the Associated Press, under anti-trust statutes, TIME's story says: "His [Arnold's] specific charges will be based on some 15 complaints already made to his office. Among them are A.P.'s denial of its service to Marshall Field's Chicago Sun and its scrapping of the competitive Wide World picture service which it bought last year."
It is true that the Associated Press, a year ago, bought the Wide World photo service from the New York Times. Far from scrapping this service, however, the Associated Press has continued and developed it under the Wide World name, serving a large number of papers in this country, as well as in Canada and Latin America. . . .
ALAN J. GOULD Executive Assistant The Associated Press New York City
> To split a hair, Wide World was and was not scrapped. It was eliminated as a competitor, continued as an A.P. auxiliary.--ED.
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