French Dressing

Sir:

After reading of Dior's hysterical high fashions in your March 4 issue, one cannot but think there is something calm and sane about a fig leaf.

EMMA WARREN GIBSON

Berkeley, Calif.

Sir:

Dior and his scissors bear a striking resemblance to Hitchcock and one of his thrillers.

MARGARET CLARK

MARY FAY DOLE

New York City

P: For the resemblance, see cuts.--ED.

Sir:

"This year the word on Dior is: 'The line is free, free as the Paris air . . . free from making a choice between wide and narrow . . . free to wear or not to wear . . .' " This "line" is certainly going to play hell with the falsie business. But. O, la, la!

HOLCOMBE McDANIEL

Baton Rouge

Jews v. Israel

Sir:

Judging from Lessing Rosenwald's opinion on Israel [Feb. 25], it's quite clear he is not one of the many millions of Jews who have been pushed from pillar to post throughout the centuries. Living in freedom and abundance, Mr. Rosenwald misconstrues the basic ideologies of Jewish consciousness, religion and nationalism. He probably doesn't know that synagogues are built for those who are well situated and have to be reminded about their Jewish heritage. But the starved and homeless Jew is quite aware of his heritage. No one is asking Mr. Rosenwald to integrate himself into the fabrics of Israel's nationalism. But it is a duty of every American Jew to aid Israel in its great plight for national freedom and integrity.

RIVA MADANNES

Berkeley, Calif.

Sir:

The American Council for Judaism is to be congratulated on its stand against Zionism. I am a Christian and respect Jews who place religion before Zionism, or Israel.

FAYE REDDING

Columbus, Ohio

The Middle East

Sir:

The Jewish people have been crucified by the nations of the world from the time of Jesus, but this is the first time they are being crucified upon crosses of oil.

Louis R. WOLFISH

Elmira, N.Y.

Sir:

The fallacy of the Eisenhower-Dulles Mid-Eastern policy is that the U.N. is already dead. It is a pity that Eisenhower is willing to sacrifice a frisky, spirited young colt for the carcass of a dead horse.

ELMER M. SHARE

Long Beach, Calif.

Mother Knows Best

Sir:

Being 43 and a male, I never have been pregnant [as Judy Holliday is in Full of Life--Feb. 18]. However, the peanut butter and onion sandwich is one of my favorites. The peanut butter cuts the strength of the onion, and the onion cuts the dry ness of the peanut butter.

ELDEN W. SCANLAND

Wichita Falls, Texas

"Beloved Mississippi"

SIR:

I AM MOST SINCERELY GRATEFUL TO ALL CONCERNED FOR THE FRIENDLY PUBLICITY GIVEN THE AFFAIRS OF MY BELOVED MISSISSIPPI IN YOUR ISSUE OF MARCH 4. I TRULY BELIEVE THAT OBJECTIVE TREATMENT OF THE PROBLEMS OF OUR STATE IS ONE OF OUR GREATEST NEEDS.

GOVERNOR J. P. COLEMAN

JACKSON, MISS.

New-Fangled Chair's Got Me

Sirs:

In "Architect's Furniture" [Feb. 18] you ask ''What is a chair?" From the illustrations, a chair is something to sit down in, way down. But a chair is also something to arise from. There is but one chair, the Breuer, that I could sit in without the embarrassment of having to be helped to leave. Of course I am a grandmother, not too ancient, and the reflexes aren't what they used to be, but I can still arise with dignity from all but the most modern chairs.

MRS. MALCOLM BELL

Savannah, Ga.

Hollywood Abroad

SIR:

WHY DO AMERICAN MOVIEMEN REQUIRE PITH HELMETS, SALT TABLETS, QUININE PILLS TO VISIT THE CAO DAI CAPITAL, TAYNINH [to film The Quiet American--TIME, Feb .25]. THE CLIMATE IS SOMEWHAT SIMILAR TO A WASHINGTON SUMMER. PERHAPS THE INHABITANTS WERE MYSTIFIED BY THEIR STRANGE ATTIRE AND ECCENTRIC DIET.

GRAHAM GREENE

LONDON

P: American moviemen take about the same precautions in Washington.--ED.

Coming & Going

Sir:

I married an American because I believed all his lies about this country. In England I attended concerts, the theater, dances, whist drives, etc. Here in five years we stay in every night, my husband drops off to sleep, and I look at TV which I hate. For such a huge country I think its lack of traditions, glamour and culture disgusting. Furthermore, tiny England is always being criticized, but Russia, nearer your own size, gets away with anything, including murder. I'm just saving until I can skip this lousy burg.

JANET E. THOMAS

Baltimore

Sir:

I am, like thousands of my countrymen, about to leave "this demiparadise" for Canada, but I feel this would not be necessary if England would climb down from its already tottering pedestal and accept a little more of the good old American "know-how." May I now speak on behalf of many Britons when I say "Thank God for America?"

STAN WOOD

London

Split Level

Sir:

In the Feb. 25 issue, you say the price of a B-52 jet bomber is said to be $8,000,000; in another story the price is said to be $6,000,000. Which is it?

HARRY LANDBO

Blair, Neb.

P: It's $8,000,000 today, will be $6,000,000 when the plane goes into mass production.--ED.

Design for Comfort

SIR:

ARCHITECT WEESE'S DESIGN [for the new U.S. Embassy at Accra--March 4] is COMFORTING AFTER THE EPIDEMIC OF AUDITORIUMS FASHIONED AS STRANGE BIRDS ALIGHTING BACKWARD INTO THE WIND, CHURCH MONSTROSITIES, CRATES ON END AND DETROIT ROAD RUNNER STYLING.

DAN COOPER

DETROIT

(Gulp!)

Sir:

As one of the "pure abstractionists" whose work was accepted for exhibition at the Corcoran Gallery of Art, I am deeply honored to be included in Cartoonist Al Capp's "small group of the unbalanced," etc., which has given him so much pain [Feb. 18]. In the loneliness of my basement studio I am eternally grateful that I have never degraded my talent or my conscience nor sold my soul--for a bowl of mud-mushrooms.

JOHN SACCARO

San Francisco

Sir:

Amen, Cartoonist Al (Li'I Abner) Capp. May your tribe increase.

DEWEY SPIES

San Mateo, Calif.

Time Heals . . .

Sir:

Three weeks ago, the prospects for additional Antarctic business looked dim indeed: a ham operator in Syracuse relayed word from the crew of Operation Deepfreeze that cakes made with our mix sank in the center. Puzzled, mortified, and very unhappy, our research people turned to TIME'S cover story on Explorer Siple [Dec. 31] for background and came up with the conclusion that altitude was causing the trouble. They recommended a very simple compensation (add flour, increase liquid, increase temperature). The men of the South Pole crew report it worked just fine, and we're now creating some fancy frostings for them.

JAMES BENNETT

Pillsbury Mills, Inc.

Minneapolis

A Touch of 'em

Sir:

Jeez you dingoes at TIME give me a touch of 'em. You give us the drum on this flicker Smiley [Feb. 25]--and it's a real bonzer list of Aussie spouting--but then you blokes forget to tell us if this film is real grouse, dinkum, or just dead drongo. I'll lay half a quid to a tray she's apples.

JOHN SHAW

Geelong, Victoria, Australia

P: Dinkum, but not real grouse; i.e., not bad, especially for the kids.--ED.

Sir:

As an Australian resident in this country, I got a big, nostalgic laugh from your review of the movie Smiley! That codger who wrote it did a bonzer job. Stone the crows, you would think he was a fair dinkum Aussie!

KATHLEEN NELSON SPIEGEL

Pittsburgh

Mates:

I dips me lid: that caper about Smiley was a fair bottler. Who drummed you on our yabber?

PHIL RUBINSTEIN

Sydney, Australia

P: Three dingoes have we.--ED.

Active Service

Sir:

About your March 4 story on the call girls who were paid to entertain important General Electric customers: As a purchaser of G.E. products, I protest that company's gross violation of the Robinson-Patman Act in not offering me the same "good will" they offer their customers who buy in carload lots. G.E. can still redeem themselves by taking note of the fact that I am allowed out every Thursday night.

SIMON M. RUDOLPH

Philadelphia

P: The Robinson-Patman Act requires that services to customers must be furnished on "proportionally equal terms."--ED.

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