Selling Arms

To the Editors: "Arming the World" [Oct. 26] brought into sharper focus the terrible dilemma we face. Which is better--to curtail arms sales to Third World powers and increase their vulnerability or to arm everyone to the hilt and wait for mutual annihilation? I do not see much to cheer about in either camp.

F. Gerald Tomlin Jr. Dallas

It is not the possession of weapons that impels countries to fight with one another, but causes, real or fanciful, that motivate nations to acquire the arms for war. Limited weapons did not prevent Hannibal from killing as many Romans in a single battle (Cannae) as the U.S. lost in seven years of Viet Nam fighting, nor did it stop the genocidal acts of Genghis Khan.

History proves that while men with guns kill, those without arms or with inferior weapons die. Common sense dictates that we and our allies stay well armed.

William R. Hawkins Blacksburg, Va.

The arms trade has grown frighteningly immense. After attending the Paris air show this spring, I can still hear the public address system proudly announcing, "These planes have been ordered by Upper Volta, Ivory Coast, etc., etc., etc." Unbelievable!

Eugene B. Farber Paris

The pictures of children with automatic weapons offer a depressing comment about today's civilization. What a lethal legacy our age of technology has left these youths.

Catherine Chatas Royal Oak, Mich.

Nixing Nuclear Power

Your article on the current difficulties in the atomic power industry [Oct. 26] was written from the wrong point of view. The slowdown in construction of nuclear plants is cause for rejoicing. Instead of lamenting the industry's gloomy future, you might have praised Americans for their effective conservation efforts. Conservation poses no health threat and is, evidently, helping to eradicate one: nuclear power.

Lynn Walter Norwich, Conn.

If President Reagan and the Atomic Industrial Forum are so convinced of the safety and desirability of atomic energy, they should urge immediate repeal of the Price-Anderson Act of 1957. This legislation limits the liability of utility companies using nuclear power plants to $500 million in case of a catastrophic accident.

Repeal of this law would signal business's willingness to assume full financial consequences for a mishap, and so would enable it to "put its money where its mouth is." It would also be a sign that the industry is ready to make it on its own without this federally subsidized insurance.

Stacia Brownjohn Whitestone, N.Y.

Recent accounts of the death of nuclear power are premature. The laws of nuclear physics exist. They cannot be suspended or amended. Consequently, those laws and their byproduct, nuclear power, are beyond legislative fiat. The technology is still in its infancy, with all of the attendant promise of a baby.

Marco J. De Marco Denver

Saving on Space

Your article "Clouds over the Cosmos" [Oct. 26] illustrates the Reagan Administration's lack of vision. Cancellation of the program of planetary exploration will cost the U.S. its prestige, its leadership in space, the tremendous resources of the solar system and, in the long run, money. The space program more than pays for itself in new technology.

Harold W. Fairchild Jr. Baltimore

No probe to Halley's comet? No solar polar mission? No Venus probe, no Galileo project for Jupiter, no deep-space network? Will future generations look back to say, "The 20th century? Oh, that was when they smoked pot and built atom bombs." Or will they say, "The 20th century? That's when they opened up the universe for us."

Tom Kane Farmington, Me.

Source of Gossip

No sin is given as much lip service as gossip [Oct. 26], probably because it deals with basic human needs. Everyone knows that the gossiper loves the attention; as for the subject, Oscar Wilde summed him up neatly: "There is only one thing in the world worse than being talked about, and that is not being talked about."

Fred R. Pfister Branson, Mo.

Talking about the lives of other people direct--judgment away from the talebearer while he is enjoying personal participation. In everyday life, gossip provides easy social interaction and just a tinge of intimacy.

Diana Sundeen Shrewsbury, Mass.

You say that gossip is usually an instrument with which people unconsciously evaluate moral contexts. That's bunk. Gossip is a conscious act and should be described as a socially acceptable form of aggression.

Peter J. Belch California, Pa.

Men being bitchy, gossiping? You jest. We never gossip. We merely exchange useful information.

James I. Campbell Seneca Falls, N.Y.

Samurai Success

Your article about American businessmen reading Miyamoto Musashi [Oct. 19] shows how little Americans know about Japan. The "secret" of Japan's success is rooted not in the ways of the warrior but in planning by government and industry, patient investing and diligence on the part of management and labor. In the U.S., ideological dogmatism undercuts the first, impetuousness the second and sloth the third. Take a tip from 20th century Japanese businessmen, not from 17th century warriors.

Winston Davis Nishinomiya, Japan

You missed the essence of Musashi's philosophy. He advocates clearing the mind of thoughts of life and death so that the fencer can concentrate on strategies that become spontaneous. Similarly, Japanese businessmen forgo short-term profit so that they can concentrate on product perfection, long-term maneuvers and economic victory. We read the book some time ago, and have found the principles most effective in representing our Japanese clients in the U S. market.

Roger B. Hawkins Hawks/Hawkins Advertising Irvine, Calif.

Smuggled Scriptures

Your report on efforts to smuggle Bibles into mainland China [Oct 19] reveals incredible insensitivity and lack of understanding regarding the visible reemergence of Christianity there. If Chinese ships attempted to run goods of any type--including Bibles--onto the coast of California, I have no doubt that most American political and religious leaders would be quite justifiably "rankled."

Western Christian missions like Brother Andrew International show callous disregard for the desire of Chinese Christians to be selfsupporting, self-governing and self-propagating. Ironically, they pose a far greater threat to the future of Christianity in China than does the present Chinese government.

Spurgeon M. Dunnam III, Editor The United Methodist Reporter Dallas

Kirkpatrick's Missive

U.N. Ambassador Jeanne Kirkpatrick's brusque defense of the U.S. [Oct. 26] indicates her understanding of the United Nations. As currently structured, the U.N. essentially serves one role: a forum for nations to express their anger and frustration. The U.S. should not be denied this privilege.

Patrick C. O'Reilly Stanford, Calif.

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