Champagne in the White House
Sir:
Your May 7 issue carries the statement that the christening of President Eisenhower's latest grandchild was the first such ceremony in the White House since Benjamin Harrison's granddaughter was baptized there in 1889. Not so, sirs. I attended the christening of a grandson of President Franklin Roosevelt's at the White House. The grandchild was John Boettiger, Anna Roosevelt's only child by her second husband. The christening took place on the second floor of the White House; four generations of Roosevelts were there: the President's mother, the President and Eleanor, their daughter Anna and her husband (since dead), and, of course, little Johnny, whom the President kept waggling a finger at during the ceremony. After the christening was over, we all drank champagne.
DAVID HULBURD
San Francisco
P: Reader Hulburd is right--and there is more. Two other Roosevelt christenings in the White House: Elliott Jr. (1937) and Franklin D. Ill (1938).--ED.
M.M.
Sir:
I sincerely appreciated your May 14 story on Norma Jeane Baker Dougherty DiMaggio Monroe. Maybe Marilyn Monroe Productions will film the life story of this amazing girl; I'm sure M.M. would win an Oscar if it did. Suggested title: "Grushenka Monroe, 12-Year-Old Sweater Girl."
TOM GRAVES
St. Louis
Sir:
Is it really anybody's business (except Miss Monroe's) to be informed about her parentage? . . .
(MRS.) MARION CITRIN
New York City
Sir:
The talents of Correspondent Goodman and almost thirteen columns of space were wasted on the life and doings of an overdeveloped woman.
Lois JANE FEGER
Richmond Hill, N.Y.
Sir:
Orchids to both TIME and Marilyn for taking that candid stroll down the old id road.
BOB HOIG
New York City
Sir:
How did Boris Chaliapin, in his cover picture of Marilyn, capture that wistful appeal for something higher than physical attraction? And how could you give us the full story of her life with such utter frankness without degrading her, but making those who have made profit out of her, and all the rest of us, accord her the respect for which she now yearns as the lines of maturity begin to show around eyes and neck. May the girl on the calendar raise our sights to higher ideals for our country's women.
(THE REV.) ALLEN H. GATES
First Congregational Church
Chesterfield, Mass.
Stop the Presses
Sir:
You mention in your May 7 "Stop the Presses" that Jimmy Parks and I stopped occasionally en route to Houston to fortify ourselves with beer--"finally, in a beer-blurred haze of headlines and bylines, Cook rapped on the door at the Houston address." I feel that you should know that iced tea and a vanilla malted milkshake were the only drinks I consumed that day or evening. I was with Parks from 5:15 p.m. Wednesday until we conferred with the Houston police chief Thursday morning, and the only drinks he had during that time were a glass of tomato juice and a chocolate milkshake.
DAN COOK
Houston
P: TIME regrets that it mixed Reporter Cook's drinks.--ED.
The Farm Picture
Sir:
Rhubarb over the head of Agriculture Secretary Benson on your May 7 cover. How apt!
J. G. OLSON
Ogden, Utah
Sir:
Will you please tell me why it is unreasonable for farmers' wives to want television sets, big cars, fur stoles, college educations for their children? Are we to return to serfdom with Benson and Eisenhower in the palace?
LEONA M. ATWOOD
Moravia, N.Y.
Sir:
I very much enjoyed your article. You have explained the farm situation and support program clearer than I have ever read in previous issues. I am very much for Mr. Benson; he is a man of principle and is doing what is best for the country.
GEORGE FAHRENBACH
Columbus, Ohio
Sir:
The farmer can and will cease asking Government aid when the Government ceases giving handouts in the form of tariffs and tax write-offs, etc. to industry, artificially bolstering labor prices and a host of other handouts that make any handouts to farmers only a drop in the bucket.
NORMAN BUEHLER
Scott City, Kans.
Sir:
Price supports have the effect of taking money from non-farmers and some farmers in order to keep inefficient farmers on the farm and to increase the size and maintenance cost of our ever abnormal granary.
ROBERT E. RAPPOLI
Boston
Sir:
By preparing this objective story for readers, you have performed an important public service, if for no reason other than that they now have access to a factual report that will enable them to vote more intelligently in those elections where farm legislation is a major issue. It is unfortunate the farm problem is a political football, but since we must be realistic and recognize this is true, it at least is helpful to have prominent national publications such as yours present the facts without distorting them for partisan purposes.
ROBERT C. LIEBENOW
Executive Secretary
Board of Trade of the City of Chicago
Pensions & Pupils
Sir:
Your May 7 issue has two of the most intelligent, realistic and overdue suggestions for improving life in the U.S. made in years: one is the report of General Bradley's commission favoring elimination of our long-endured, nonsense pensions and bonuses to able-bodied veterans and their families; the other is in your summary of Ohio High School Teacher Caspar D. Green's article recommending throwing out of high schools the most recalcitrant and uneducable pupils so that the rest can learn.
MILDRED VAN CLEVE
Riverside, Calif.
Evasive Equations
Sir:
I have often thought that Einstein's relation E = MC2 was overworked by the press. Your April 30 article, "Fat Electrons," I believe should have used Einstein's relation:
M = M6 -: SQRT 1-V/C
E. H. BODEN
Emporium, Pa.
P: The increase of an electron's mass with increasing speed is calculated by the specific equation that Reader Boden gives. TIME, however, was using the basic Einstein equation that expresses the equivalence of mass and energy. For another reaction, see below.--ED.
Sir:
I thought it would be fun to make the calculation. And then I thought your readers would like to see how it comes out. Here it is: Take the circumference of the earth in inches. This comes from 3,963.4 x 6.2832 x 5280 x 12 [i.e., radius of earth multiplied by 2p, converted to inches]. Express this as 1.571 x 10^9. Let v equal the electron velocity and c the velocity of light. Then
V/C = 1.571 X 10^9 -5 -: 1.571 X 10^9
Also, 1 -V/C = 5 -: 1.571 X 10^9
and 1 + V/C = 2 (very approximately).
Therefore,
1 -V^2/C^2 = 10 -: 1.571 X 10^9 = 63.6 X 10^-10
and SQRT 1 -V^2/C^2 = 7.97 X 10^-5.
Whence 1 -: SQRT 1 -V^2/C^2 = 1.254 X 10^4.
Finally, MV = MO -: SQRT 1-V^2/C^2 = 12,540MO.
JULIUS SUMNER MILLER
Professor of Physics
American Association of Physics Teachers
El Camino College, Calif.
A Quiet Little Dinner
Sir:
Your May 7 report on the visit of B. & K. to Britain was most stimulating. Whatever his motive in inviting them, Anthony Eden should be happy about the results. They lost friends and influenced people--adversely. It must have been very good for them to notice that the British bulldog had to wear his muzzle during their stay.
PAULINE MAIR
Hartsdale, N.Y.
Sir:
I thoroughly enjoyed your penetrating "Quiet Little Dinner." It was, to me, the clearest word-picture I have encountered of the Red party boss. . .
FRANK D. JACOBS
Toledo
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