The U.N., the U.S. & Katanga

Sir: Considering events in Katanga, we Norwegians count ourselves lucky that there was no U.N. and no Dag Hammarskjold in 1905; otherwise, we would have had Ethiopian and Italian troops here to prevent our secession and enforce the authority of the central government in Stockholm.

K. SEMMELMANN Oslo, Norway

Sir: We Africans regard your State Department's fumblings in the Congo and Katanga with the same apprehension as if watching a drunk trying to fix our only watch--by tearing out the only working part without thought of getting it together again.

The U.N. hopes by toppling Tshombe it can say, "You're unified" and get out, but it will be irretrievably trapped.

H. L. RYAN Salisbury, Southern Rhodesia

Sir: Is Mr. Kennedy content to go down in history as the President who denied air support to anti-Communists fighting desperately to regain their homes in Cuba, but gave quick air support to forces slaughtering anti-Communists fighting desperately to protect their homes in Katanga?

MABEL A. CRONQUIST White Plains, N.Y.

Sir: In your issue of Dec. 8, Moise Tshombe was nominated by one of your readers for Man of the Year. I feel that he should be Man of the Year for his greed, which has cost the world the lives of two of the greatest men of this century: Patrice Lumumba--that rebellious son of the African soil--and Dag Hammarskjold.

WABWOBA WAPAKALA Lyallpur, West Pakistan

Sir: At present, the U.N., with the help of the U.S., is busily engaged in destroying the only base on which the ex-Belgian Congo can thrive, and precipitating Katanga into the same chaos as the rest of the country. The U.S. seems to be like a ship driven by the winds of the opinion of the anti-Western part of the world. It is becoming more and more evident that Europe and its friends will have to save themselves from their enemies in spite of the "help" of the U.S.

G. UILENBERG Tananarive, Madagascar

Balance for Christmas

Sir: You are to be congratulated on your cover story on Christmas shopping (Dec. 15) on almost all counts. The nice balance between humor and sobriety, urbanity and simplicity, contemporary commercialism and ancient religious custom produced one of the most inclusive commentaries ever offered by TIME.

Dismayed I am, however, that the author found such unrelieved monosyllabic expressions being voiced by Santas, shopkeepers and civilians as "Ooops!" "Oof!" "Ho! Ho! Ho!" "Bah!" and even "Aughh!" I wonder if TIME'S reporter paused long enough in any store to listen for a seasonal "Excuse me, please" or a polysyllabic "I certainly appreciate your waiting, madam!" as I did on more than one occasion.

FLORA HOUSE FAIRCHILD Darien, Conn.

Sir: Your cover struck me as being a strangely familiar sight. I wonder if you would satisfy a Georgia girl's curiosity by telling me if the artist could have possibly re-created the Thanksgiving "lighting of the tree" atop Rich's in Atlanta?

JANE R. GIBSON New York City

P: True. Artist Joe Jones did base his painting on impressions of the seasonal scene in Atlanta.--ED.

What Is Witness?

Sir: Your report on the World Council of Churches in New Delhi [Dec. 8] was excellent, but the statement of Bishop Newbigin "that he hoped 'that the churchmen of Asia and Africa will be moved to send missionaries to Europe and America to make the Gospel credible to the pagan masses of those continents who remain unmoved by the witness of the churches in their midst,' " fell upon my tired brow with a thud.

It leads me to ask the question, "What on earth is real Christian witness?" Whatever it is, Bishop Newbigin's remark implies that American churches are without it. We admit that "the specialized boom in suburban churches" is full of secular ramifications. But as we ministers struggle to reconcile alienated personalities, as we try to bring some understanding to parents whose daughter has eloped with a much older man, as we try to comfort bereavement, as we are trying to make the gospel of God's love, forgiveness and reconciliation meaningful in a predominantly materialistic culture, are we therefore so much in need of evangelists from Asia and Africa to show us the light?

No one realizes the superficiality of our basketball teams and men's clubs more than we; but are they not also fertile ground for witness? As the Asian and African cultures grow in materialism--and this, I believe, is inevitable--whatever will be their equivalent of basketball teams and men's clubs will be equally fertile ground for witness.

We agree that Western-culture man is crying out for help as he gropes for Christian meaning, and that the church falls far short of the mark. But we are trying to welcome him into our sinful midst that he will not feel alone in his groping.

(THE REV.) DONALD B. WARD Kirk of Bonnie Brae Denver

Cold but not Cold

Sir:

Speaking of cold viruses [Nov. 17], the Hollywood doctor whose letter was printed [Dec. 1] has a point: alcohol, frustration, etc. undoubtedly help to bring on a cold. But when we lived in the Arctic, it was possible to trace a cold for hundreds of miles. After the boats left in the fall, all the colds in the village would disappear--until the mail came in, by dog team. Or possibly some other stranger would come in. Immediately, the entire village would start to cough and blow. After a couple of weeks, we would have developed sufficient immunity so that all colds subsided.

In the times between exposures to new bacterial (or viral) infection, no one would catch cold, notwithstanding exposure to low temperatures, exhaustion, arguments, frustrations, over-or undereating, oversleeping. I will not mention alcohol or hot showers, as at that time neither of these was a problem.

ANNA B. KLEREKOPER Houston

One Man's Money ...

Sir: Herblock's Goldwater cartoon [Dec. 15] is one of his best. The cartoon says more about Goldwater than any article could.

LEONARD MEIZLISH Detroit

Sir: No, Herblock didn't land a low blow. These people do exist and think this way. Perhaps they are a little self-conscious about Daddy's money, realizing they couldn't have earned it themselves.

WILLIAM JOHN CARD JR. New York City

Sir: Cartoonist Herblock might better have depicted President Kennedy exhorting the poor to inherit a liquor fortune, or Averill Harriman suggesting railroads as the key to success.

DOUGLAS P. WHEELER Clinton, N.Y.

Man of the Year Sir:

In a world where there are too many hungry people and too much waste and too much conflict, the first thing to do is create intelligent trade relations so that this thing called civilization might have a chance. The greatest hope today has been advanced by one man who is influencing more constructive thinking than anyone else on the globe. The Man of the Year is Jean Monnet.

WALTER WANGER Rome

Sir: An unparalleled man of principles--former Major General Edwin A. Walker.

MATT MITCHELL Eugene, Ore.

Sir: The East German Freedom Seeker, a symbol of man's inexhaustible need for liberty.

ELLEN J. SHAFFER New York City

Sir:

Much as I'd hate to see his satanic face on the newsstands for a week, you have no choice but to name Walter Ulbricht as Pup-pet-of-the-Year.

HUGH SPENCER Chicago

Sir: Barry Goldwater.

DORA SESSIONS LEE Prescott, Ariz.

Sir: May I suggest the blue-helmeted United Nations soldier--a true fighter for freedom.

JOHN E. VINCENT Torrance, Calif.

Sir: Astronauts, with emphasis on Gagarin. ROBERTO ULLOA LLACH Santiago de Maria, El Salvador

Sir: John F. Kennedy, who forged ahead to the New Frontier, blunder by blunder, without tarnishing his ego!

JEANNE KRONER Homewood, Ill.

Sir: Old Joe Kennedy. Who else in the history of the U.S. has been a U.S. ambassador, sired one son who is now President of the U.S., another who is Attorney General and one who is expected to become a candidate for U.S. Senator from Massachusetts?

V. J. SCOGIN Slidell, La.

Out of Frustration

Sir: The ultras [Dec. 8] are right about one thing: the root of our problem is not abroad but right here at home. The problem is that the long-range philosophy of our country is being undermined by impatient people who have neither the understanding nor the courage necessary to be dedicated Americans. In these frustrating times the ultras have in effect given up. They have adopted a more primitive philosophy: self-preservation through selfishness and aggression. The net result of their efforts seems to be that of turning one American against another. What could harm our country--and help Communism--more than this?

ROGER N. JOHNSON New Canaan, Conn.

Sir: As long as man has ideals, we will have extremists as part of the human scene. In the long view, the extremists are the ones who shape, change and affect society for good or ill. I find the ultraconservatives far less a danger to our republic than the ultraliberals.

R. M. TOBUTT Palatine, Ill.

Sir: I do not now nor have I ever belonged to one of these groups, but the phenomenon of these movements is that it is a symptom of a widespread, sincere and honest search by the people for leadership. What an opportunity this is for a fearless statesman. Out of frustration over the continued ineptness, and repeated mistakes by our policy planners, many Americans are concluding that the external threat to our security and freedom is manifest internally through moral paralysis and demoralization of public opinion and public officials. They respond by wanting to enlist in the war against Communism, but they are not being led.

ROBERT G. PURSLEY III Chattanooga, Tenn.

This file is automatically generated by a robot program, so reader's discretion is required.