Truce in Korea
Sir: . . . Not a few of us were astonished at the manner the Administration has adopted to bring an end to the Korean war [TIME, July 6], a method that literally shouts for "peace" at any price. Since returning from the Korean war last year (I served with Oklahoma's 45th Infantry Division), I have persistently worked to do something about a condition which permits Americans to be sent into combat and then have victory denied them, not by the enemy but by the very Government we were fighting to preserve . . . Have the words of MacArthur, Van Fleet, and the thousands upon thousands of Korean veterans been of no avail? Have over 24,000 American men, killed by steel from the sanctuary of Manchuria, died in vain? . . .
JIMMY LYONS
Searcy, Ark.
Sir:
Didn't we go to the aid of South Korea to help free them from an aggressive invasion of their territory? Did we ever agree to rid all of Korea of Communists? Did we ever agree to unify Korea? . . . If a truce frees the South Korea territory of the aggressors, our job is done . .
MERLE ROGERS
Chicago
The Conservative Mind
Sir:
Thank you for the wonderful book review of The Conservative Mind by Russell Kirk [TIME, July 6] . . . Let's have more such "liberal" conservative doses of reviews as poison an that now antidote to the destroy man and his civilization.
E. J. BARTEK
East Hartford, Conn.
Sir:
. . . A democracy should have both liberalism and conservatism in about equal force, since liberalism can easily be perverted into Soviet-style tyranny and conservatism into monarchical tyranny . . .
GORDON ROEDER
Northfield, Vt.
Sir:
You quote the Confederate General Forrest as saying he would not have gone to war if he "hadn't thought he was fighting to keep his niggers and other folks' niggers." For several years prior to General Forrest's death in 1879, I was his neighbor on Union Street in Memphis, and on several occasions I heard him say slavery was not the sole, or even the main, cause of the War Between the States. Less than 10% of the people of the South owned even one slave . . .
LEE MERIWETHER
St. Louis
Voice from Egypt
Sir:
Shortly after the breakdown of the Anglo-Egyptian talks, Sir Winston Churchill and his imperialist organs attempted to put the blame on Egypt. Churchill's misleading propaganda claimed that Egypt by so doing was threatening the security of the whole of the Middle East and endangering the interests of the free world. In no way was this propaganda true, as Egypt is anxious to settle the problem of the Suez Canal in order to be able to concentrate all efforts on carrying out her reform projects . . .
The majority of the Egyptian people has, for the past seven decades, been subjected to the worst forms of exploitation and suppression by the British occupation, ex-King and their clique. That is why the main objective set forth by our revolution of July 23 last has been to relieve the Egyptian people of such oppression, and to raise and improve their standards, thus eliminating the dangers of extremist ideologies . . .
Under British occupation no progress is possible. On the contrary, "vacuums" are created which certainly affect stability and security not only in Egypt but in all Middle East countries which stand by Egypt's side in her struggle for complete independence.
We entered the talks with the sincere desire to bring them to a fruitful and happy conclusion . . . But the British side wanted only an agreement which would ensure the continuation of their occupation under a new name. Such agreement would have made the illegitimate occupation of Egypt legitimate and eternal . . .
The British tried to hide Britain's imperialistic designs on the Arab world under a new title -- the defense of the interests of the free world in the Middle East. We know for sure that the maintenance of any foreign force on our territory, no matter why, is only a continuation of the British aggression . . .
It is certain that it is only a matter of prestige that made the British insist on keeping and maintaining unnecessary big forces in the Canal Zone . . . Under the present circumstances the base is of no use whatsoever so long as it is surrounded by a hostile population who are full-heartedly supported by the Arabs and all Moslem nations. In time of war it will be reduced to a pocket which has to defend itself against the Egyptian people. The people of the Middle East have declared that the defense of the Middle East is their own concern. They are anxious to take the complete responsibility of the defense of this area. They categorically reject any interference from the West . . . We have declared our readiness to maintain the Suez Canal base in perfect shape and therefore accepted to employ British technicians until the time when we shall have sufficient technicians of our own.
We are not obstinate ; on the contrary, we were realists and straightforward, but the British government has not proved to be in favor of any proper solution of the Middle East problems, apparently as such solutions are incompatible with their own selfish and imperialistic interests.
GAMAL ABDEL-NASSER
Lieut. Colonel
Vice President of the Council of the Revolutionary Command
Gezira, Egypt
Myth or Menace? (Cont'd)
Sir:
Your concise summary of the double fakery known as McCarthyism [TIME, June 29] is the definitive statement on the subject and avoids the hogwash which has too frequently been slopped over this issue from both sides. There is a rational, honorable position precisely between the European neutralists' phony worry over American freedoms and the Senator's phony picture of our subversion . . .
T. L. BERGER Piermont, N.Y.
Sir: What an example of shameless propaganda -- your editorial smearing McCarthy as "myth and menace." . . .
If McCarthy is so weak and unpopular ass you claim, why is he a menace? . . .First you bring him to "menace" proportions to distract us from the fact there were Reds in the Government, and then try to pooh pooh him away when this purpose has been accomplished.
JOHN H. SCHUTZ Milwaukee Sir: Some one should advise J. B. Matthews that the countries most liberally Protestant are the least Communistic -- Canada, England, Scotland, U.S. -- and the countries most Catholic are the most Communistic -- France, Italy, the Balkans . . .
The greatest bulwark against Communism in this country is precisely that kind of political liberalism found in the Protestant Church and which Mr. Matthews fears.
(REV.) FREDERICK WYNGARDEN, D.D.
Westminster Presbyterian Church Grand Rapids
Intellectual Immunity
Sir:
We see that Joe McCarthy thinks that Albert Einstein is "an enemy of America" [TIME, June 22]. There are quite a few of us over here doing some fighting in the real sense of fighting Communism while the Senator is "fighting" it with his mouth.
It is our opinion that Einstein will assume a place among the ten greatest men of this century. Where McCarthy's name will be if it is remembered we aren't certain, but very likely in the same obscure corner of history occupied by the late Theodore Bilbo.
(CPL.) JOHN MORAN
(CPL.) FRANK CRONIN
(Sgt.) D. M. MOORE
(SFC.) MERVYN MILLER
40th Infantry Division
Somewhere in Korea
On the Roof of the World
Sir:
"Conquest of Everest" [TIME, July 6] is strikingly written. Part of it sounds Biblical . . . Beautiful prose !
LOUISE DYER HARRIS Newtonville, Mass.
Sir: Historians of the future will record this striking commentary on the spiritual decline of Western civilization: Time: 11:30 a.m., Friday, May 29th, 1953.
Scene: Two men, roped together, stand on the roof of the world and gaze at the scene before them. One is Hillary, representing the spiritual heritage of Europe. The other is Tenzing, representing the spiritual heritage of Asia.
Hillary: "Damn good."
Tenzing: "I thought of God and the greatness of His work."
(REV.) JAMES I. COOK
Blawenburg, N.J.
American Heritage
Sir:
TIME'S four-page spread [July 6] on the Cooperstown collection of American Folk Art was an especially beautiful one . . .
What a good idea to remind Americans so vividly of "their own lively and fruitful folk heritage." It is still not so long ago that American artists and writers were complaining of the cultural "barrenness" of their native land . . .
ALFRED BUTTERFIELD
New York City
Googolplex
Sir:
To say that a googol is "the mathematical term for 1 plus 100 zeros" [TIME, July 6] is to be as erroneous as the third-grade arithmetician who decides that 2 plus 2 is 22 . . . A googol is the number which may be expressed by 10 100.
Written out, this is 1 followed by 100 zeros . . . And a googolplex is a googol to the googol power!
EDWARD C. MARZO
East Orange, N.J.
P:To TIME'S googol specialist, 100 zeros. -- ED.
Late Shopping
Sir:
TIME'S July 13 issue says, "First wrinkle-resistant Dacron-and-wool suits and topcoats for spring, fall and winter wear will be brought out this fall . . ." [Such] suits were, introduced by Milliken last year. Apparently TIME hasn't been shopping lately!
ELY R. CALLAWAY JR.
Deering Milliken & Co., Inc.
New York City
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