"Men of Character"

Sirs:

. . . Quoting a sentence of Chiang Kai-shek's Christian testimony ... TIME, April 26: "This [becoming a follower of Jesus Christ] makes me realize more fully than ever that the success of our revolution depends upon men of faith, men of character, who because of their faith will not sacrifice principle for personal safety. . . ."

Men on the fighting fronts are fighting for a principle, that free men may continue to inherit the earth and live in peace and prosperity with their neighbors. These men will not sacrifice that principle for personal safety. Should others? I sometimes wonder if America's legislators, its labor leaders, its industrialists, its occasional absentee defense workers, its sometimes selfishly pleasure-seeking civilians ever realize that . . . their maintenance of a solid fighting home front is as important a cog on the wheel of success as those facing the dive-bombers.

To me, character starts within a man's mind: either he will compromise on small principles which he feels no one may notice, or he will not. . . .

Faith always that we will win this herculean struggle ... is a prime requisite of 130,000,000 Americans. But individual character, individual ability to say "No" to the black-market scavenger, the political pork-barrel, the easy money which may produce inflation and lose the war for us--seems utterly basic.

"... The success of our revolution depends upon men of faith, men of character. . . ."

ENSIGN RICHARD MANNING U.S.N.R.

Boston

Bricker, Willkie and Roosevelt

Sirs:

. . . The array of Ohio Presidents [TIME, April 26] is not sufficiently impressive to make one enthusiastic about trying another. . . .

Why not go to New York and give Wendell Willkie another chance? . . . He speaks his mind frankly and clearly on matters of public interest and importance. (Ay, there's the rub, he probably does not suit the politicians. But maybe he suits the people.) He has visited and met many of the most important personages of earth--men who will have much to do with shaping the course of events in the next few years, and has won their confidence. . . .

Me for Wendell!

A. E. BRUCE

Claremont, Calif.

Sirs:

What modern Moses came down out of the mountain with TIME'S ten Presidential Commandments? They may fit the Bricker biography for which they were invented, but not over half of them fit the most politic politician and the most presidential President this country has ever known.

GEORGE W. PEAK

Arlington, Va.

Sirs:

TIME neglects to mention Rule 11 among necessary qualifications for nomination as Republican candidate for the Presidency. To wit: he must sit upon the fence on every vital question and express himself only in the vaguest generalities. With the exception of Mr. Willkie, no Republican candidate during the past 20 years has violated this rule.

There are many of us who feel that postwar interests of the U.S. would best be served by an internationally minded man with a capitalistic background. Mr. Willkie has grown in stature since his 1940 defeat, has proved himself to many who did not consider his background adequate to lead the country in time of national peril.

If the state of Ohio is truly in labor, it would appear she is about to beget a mouse, in keeping with her tradition of bringing forth inconsequential Presidents all the way from the inept Grant to the incredible Harding. If the Republicans are so blind as to think the country desires a return to Harding normalcy, and are making ready to nominate another nonentity, I can only conclude that the fourth term will best help solve our postwar problems.

EVERETT J. MANN Rochester, N.Y.

Seven Hearts Illusion

Sirs: I came in late on this week's issue (TIME, April 26) which accounts for the delay in registering my Bronx cheer on your reporting of Fred Kaplan's "bridge feat." . . .

All credit to Fred Kaplan, whose imagination carried him to a very brilliant coup ; but what happened to produce the illusion that seven hearts was "the highest makable contract" and that seven spades is automatically defeated ?

On the contrary, if the declarer prefers to assume that hearts will break rather than spades, the hand plays itself for seven against any defense and with only the barest amount of guidance.

There is no argument that it spreads for seven against any opening but the club ace. Assuming, however, that the club ace is opened, the remainder of the play is as follows:

The first trick is taken by the declarer with the six of spades. He then runs three hearts, winding up with the lead in his own hand. He then leads a small diamond to the jack and returns the queen, overtaking it. The ace of diamonds is now led, and West has the choice of putting in a trump or discarding a club. If he trumps. North overtrumps, takes out all the trumps with three leads and all the diamonds in the South hand are good. If West discards a club, North trumps with the deuce of spades, leads the king of clubs (South discards a diamond), then a small club, which is trumped by South with the seven of spades. That leaves South with two diamonds which North will trump with the ace and queen of spades, and North with a club and a heart which South will trump with the king and jack of spades. West's four trumps melt up painfully beneath this shower of alternate high honors. . . .

W. S. BALDWIN

Oak Park, Ill.

>Let TIME'S overhasty bridge "expert" go sit with the dummy.--ED.

Browned Off

Sirs: Your recent discussion of R.A.F. expressions (TIME, March 22) was read here with much interest, especially by our friends in that organization. Americans regret, however, that you omitted reference to one RAF-ism that we take an extremely dim view of: "U.S." as an abbreviation for "unserviceable." We are browned off by it, and hope it will go for six.

EVERETT FISHER Pan American Airways, Inc. Somewhere in Africa, West Coast

Badger for Thye

Sirs:

. . . TIME (MAY 3) CARRIED A CUT CAPTIONED: "MINNESOTA'S GOVERNOR THYE, EX-GOVERNOR STASSEN." GENEROUS GOVERNOR THYE COMMENTS THAT "THE MAN IDENTIFIED

IN THE PHOTOGRAPH AS THYE IS EMINENTLY QUALIFIED TO BE GOVERNOR," BUT HE IS, IN REALITY, ABLE, VERSATILE LESTER BADGER WHO

SERVED AS STASSEN'S SECRETARY . . . AND is

CONTINUING IN THE SAME CAPACITY FOR THYE.

ARNOLD ASLAKSON Minneapolis

>TIME'S apologies to photogenically similar Governor-Thye and Secretary Badger.--ED.

Responsible Realists

Sirs: To Americans long taught to believe that the weapons produced in this country are unexcelled, and that to win this war we had only to produce a sufficient quantity, your story "Lessons of Combat (Cont'd)" (TIME, April 26) had an ominous note. However, the news contained therein is extremely welcome if it really represents a recession by officialdom from the unrealistic tenets that: 1) any item manufactured by Americans is automatically the best in the universe; and 2 ) that our production capacity in all items is unlimitable.

If those charged with responsibility for directing our war effort now are realists enough to abandon these obviously un sound doctrines, then the business of winning the war will have taken a long step for ward. . . .

JAMES T. KENDALL

Jackson, Miss.

Postwar Readjustment

Sirs:

Background for Peace has been a tonic.

. . . The March 22 issue made mention of . . . the problem of "Preparing the people for the orderly demobilization of 50,000,000 soldiers." What of the younger man taken directly from school and home, put through the most rigorous training program ever conceived, and as a pilot, bombardier, or paratrooper, called upon to live life so intensely that few can stand the pace? Are the people who remain home going to expect the same boy to return and to take his place in a normal existence as though nothing had ever happened? . . . Will they realize how difficult it will be for him to adjust himself to a safe and sane life again? And will they help him?...

He has been compelled to harden his mind to fit himself for a hard job. . . .

Assuming that we have a tougher job ahead in fitting these men into civilian life, I wonder if we will devote to it one-tenth of the energy and planning that we did in fitting them for war. I doubt it. In which case, can we expect them to be anything else than restless, unable to return to duller things, quick to provoke trouble (if only for the excitement), and generally unable to stabilize themselves in a peaceful society?

PRIVATE M. R. MABEN Camp Young, Calif.

Snappy Salute

Sirs:

I am writing you anent the wise crack credited to one Lucius Beebe (TIME, April 26), in which said columnist sneers at "second lieutenants," whose presence in New York night spots "Luscious Lucius" seems to resent. This is a personal affront to every boy who won his commission the hard way, including my own son. ... A snappy salute to Beebe--with a certain well-known juxtaposition of the thumb and nose. And for TIME, a resounding Bronx cheer for publishing such scurrilous drivel.

EMERY HUSTON

Connersville, Ind.

Sirs:

Perhaps I am uninformed as to Mr. Beebe's contribution to the war effort, and I have never in my life been in New York, but I'd gladly wager that the average American would rather see the streets of Manhattan cluttered with members of this "curious order called second lieutenants" than all the society that Beebe could scare up in the next 10,000 years. . . .

When Hitler gets his pins knocked from under his sadistic frame, it might not be done by a second lieutenant but it certainly won't be done by Luscious Lucius Beebe!

2ND LIEUT. RALPH M. CHILDS Greenville, S.C.

Idea Clearing House

Sirs:

... I have noticed that several of your readers have submitted ideas on ... the winning of the war. I suppose many more have written to you, or possibly to other agencies or institutions, about some pet idea of their own.

It might be worth while for all of your readers to know that there exists in New York an organization known as Victory Center, 745 Fifth Avenue, which functions as a clearing house for war-winning ideas. . .

I am one of the voluntary consultants of this organization, and I know that every idea submitted is carefully evaluated and the good ones are forwarded to appropriate agencies for action.

THEODORE ABEL

New York City

> Victory Center Inc. was set up by a group of Columbia University classmates (1917) who wanted to do something for the war and couldn't join the Army or Navy. Ideas which the Center considers worth passing on are sent to the proper Government or civilian agency.--ED

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