Open Madison's Grave

Sir: The nomination of William Rehnquist by President Nixon to be an Associate Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court [Nov. 1] is beyond the comprehension of any citizen whose political philosophy is grounded on the Bill of Rights. It not only indicates the real lack of eminent jurists who agree with the Nixon theories, but it also reveals the shallowness of the President's own political beliefs and his inability to perceive the long-term consequences of his expedient acts.

No virtuous wrapping of Mr. Rehnquist in such adjectives as "brilliant," "scholarly," "logical," "superb" can obscure his belief that society's rights are superior to individual rights. If this nomination is confirmed by the Senate, then open Madison's grave and throw in the Bill of Rights to keep him company. It will be of no use to us!

ROBERT B. ELLIOTT

Albany, Calif.

Sir: Your otherwise excellent roundup on the Supreme Court nominations ignored the historic fact that no one can predict the ideological behavior of a Justice. Few of them have followed the party line of the nominating Administration, and those that have, have tended to lack influence in the court.

The agonizing of Mr. Nixon and Mr. Mitchell over the political coloration of their candidates is nothing but a tedious, ignorant waste of time.

CARLETON JONES

Baltimore

Sir: If Nixon would stop fretting about his place in the damn history books and tend to the quotidian business of running this country, those same history books might have a better verdict to return on his efforts. Whether it's putting in a phone call to the men on the moon or molding a Supreme Court, Richard Nixon seems to think only in terms of his own footnotes in weighty tomes, rather than the well-being of the country he is supposed to be leading.

TERRENCE MAITLAND

Woburn, Mass.

Revoking the Credit Card

Sir: Why all the disturbance about the Republic of China's expulsion from the U.N. [Nov. 8]? In fact, Chiang Kai-shek has been snobbishly dismissed from an impotent and ineffective international social fraternity. Revocation of his American Express card would have been a more consequential abashment.

E.F. DONNAN JR.

Charlottesville, Va.

Sir: The expulsion of Taiwan from the United Nations may be followed by expulsions of other members of the world organization if the U.S. does not cut its financial support and request the Assembly to move out of North America.

The U.S. may be kicked out just to prove that the Red slogan "the American imperialist is a paper tiger and bean-curd tiger" is true.

JAMES LEE

Kowloon, Hong Kong

Sir: The decline of the League of Nations began with the League's refusal to extend its support to Ethiopia against Italy. History will record that the decline of the United Nations began on Oct. 25, 1971, when the U.N. expelled Nationalist China.

GERT P. ARNSTEIN

Los Angeles

Sir: I can only say how very funny that the Communist countries now meet in the U.S., to dictate their will to the U.S., supported by U.S. funds. Perhaps now the U.S. citizens will realize that the U.N. is a big circus and that they are the clowns, for they are footing the bill.

E. KRUGER

Pretoria, South Africa

Neon, Tinsel and Noise

Sir: And now we have it, Jesus Christ [Oct. 25] in Disneyland. Salvation for 30 pieces of silver. We have a new high for the soul, as high indeed as all its glassy-eyed performers.

Superstar is truly anti-Jewish, but worse, it is antiChrist. Your criticism is terribly kind to a contrivance that exploits for profit the very heart and soul of our Christian belief with this very shallow interpretation, covered over with neon, tinsel and noise.

ROBERT J. FELLERER

Minneapolis

Sir: I don't find fault with Jesus Christ Superstar. I applaud it. It is good entertainment and not immoral. We should not judge it as history but as any other play. We should encourage such plays and not rap them. It has a good message: Christ lives on in our lives, but he continues to die every time there is cruelty and injustice.

MRS. JOHN G. QUINN

Levittown, N.Y.

Sir: As I read your review of Jesus Christ Superstar, my only thought was "Father forgive them for they know not what they do."

EDITH CHANEY

Fayetteville, Ark.

Museum Trip

Sir: Robert Hughes' essay on Picasso [Nov. 1] gave me a better approach to Picasso's art than any museum trip I have ever made or art books I have ever read.

PAUL HIRSCH

St. Petersburg, Fla.

Sir: Now that he is 90, let's stop overrating Picasso. I have found most Picasso exhibitions dreary and uninteresting. I have stood for half an hour in front of Guernica and it was still only cheap bombast.

My advice to all the millionaires who have invested so heavily in his pictures is to sell, and sell quickly, before more people join me in saying "The king is naked."

NATHAN SCHUR

Zahala, Israel

Sir: Picasso! Father of disposable art.

EDGAR S. BAUM

Allentown, Pa.

Vivid Writing at $60,000

Sir: As a young American journalist working in London, I disagree with your contention [Nov. 1] that "young Englishmen seem to surpass" their American counterparts in the ability to write vividly. No reflection on the Sunday Times staffers, but I suspect there would be more young Americans writing just as vividly if there were more American organizations as willing to spend nine months and $60,000 on one series.

GORDON F. JOSELOFF

London

What Lies Behind the Wall?

Sir: Master Gamester Willy Brandt gives away to the Soviets what is behind the Iron Curtain, then walks off with a Nobel Peace Prize for himself [Nov. 1]. The big losers are the millions of people in East Germany who had hoped to some day determine their destiny for themselves. What will Willy win when he wagers what lies behind the Wall?

RICHARD GORMAN

Rockville, Md.

Latent Snobbism

Sir: The tone of "Politics at the Philharmonic" [Nov. 1] was very disappointing to this member of the U.C.L.A. audience.

The politicking was spirited and added to, not detracted from Conductor Samuel's "to, for, and by the people" approach to music. The latent snobbism reflected in your article is precisely what turns off so many potential supporters of fine music.

JERRY D. GREEN

West Los Angeles

Once in 1,000 Years

Sir: Your elaborate criticism of Iran's Show of Shows [Oct. 25] was cleverly written, but was it not somewhat debasing? It accentuated the negative. Could there have been any better time or better way to make real to the people of that nation and to the world the many phases in the life of a nation?

Such a celebration need be carried out but once in a thousand years, whereas the money so spent, if appropriated to the relief of poverty would not abolish poverty permanently. It would need to be done over and over every generation.

J. LAUREN NADEN

Atlanta, Ind.

Sir: So the Shah is sensititve to the criticism of his $100 million extravaganza. And well he might be! The indignation felt by the majority of th Iranian citizens is shared by the majority of us working here in the American and European business communities. Particularly by those of us who have delivered technology to the Iranian government on or ahead of schedule, and are still awaiting payment months and years later. To spend $100 million on a celebration when more than that amount is already owing for completed hard works is indeed indicative of that numbing Iranian characteristic: the instinctive preference of pomp to payment.

NORMAN R. BURTON

Managing Director

Page Communications Engineers

Teheran

Exxonerated

Sir: It seems a high price to pay in order to change the name of an oil company to something meaningless [Oct. 25], although I take it that you feel those responsible should be Exxonerated.

L.R. LANE

North Vancouver

Sir: Exxon U.S. doesn't mean anything? The Standard Oil execs might have turned from their computers long enough to ask that of any crossword-puzzle, anagram or Scrabble buff, or one of the millions of word-minded people who might visualize, as I did, a map of our country besmirched by a big X. "Ex on U.S." is the sort of comment likely to find worldwide agreement, if not one your would wish even on a competitor.

JAMES MCMURTRY

Newbury Park, Calif.

Sir: Perhaps the savings Esso has achieved through layoffs are now being used in its $100 million campaign to change the name to Exxon. What a waste!

RONALD COIFMAN

Guayaquil, Ecuador

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