Letters

Atomic Era

To the Editors: Just as Hiroshima was the first city where the Bomb was used, I pray that Nagasaki will be the last [SPECIAL SECTION, July 29]. It will be a victory for mankind if the first and last use of the Bomb occurred 40 years ago, when the Bomb's destructive power was still measured in kilotons and not megatons. Noshir K. Medhora Houston

Thank you for the excellent section on the atomic age. We who were toddlers in 1945 commend you for your work, which provided a rich source for reflection on this strange anniversary. Judith E. Kiehl Rochester

After reading the words of the Enola Gay's co-pilot ("My God, what have we done?"), I wondered if there was an equivalent sentiment from a Japanese officer who participated in the Dec. 7, 1941, destruction at Pearl Harbor. Gloria S. Cohen Norristown, Pa.

Pearl Harbor is no excuse for Hiroshima. The Japanese attacked a military base; they did not incinerate downtown Honolulu. The atom bomb could have been exploded over Tokyo Bay, within sight of the Emperor. Even the flattening of Mount Fuji would have been preferable to carbonizing humans. Jake Cipris Millburn, N.J.

The Germans forced us to build it. The Japanese forced us to use it. The Soviets force us to keep it. Douglas B. Ashford Ruston, La.

Our timing is the most important consideration we should question regarding our use of the atom bomb against Japan. The bombs were dropped on Aug. 6 and 9. The earliest possible invasion date of the mainland was Nov. 1, 1945. Since the Japanese were on the verge of surrender, dropping the Bomb could have been delayed two weeks or even two months. A surrender might have been obtained with out the Bomb. Dick Mumford Elizabethtown, Pa.

Your issue on the atomic age was fascinating. I regret, however, your use of the mushroom, with its negative connotation, as the symbol for your SPECIAL SECTION. This comes at a time when the American Mushroom Institute is beginning a campaign to increase the consumption of mushrooms from 2.8 lbs. per capita to a much higher level. Perhaps by calling attention to the product, we will encourage Americans to increase their use of this nutritional commodity. Charles R. Harris, Executive Director American Mushroom Institute Kennett Square, Pa.

I do not understand why everyone shows so much sympathy for the Japanese. Has the world forgotten the millions of Chinese who were killed and tortured by the Japanese during their pre-World War II invasion of China? The crimes committed by the Japanese, especially after the fall of Nanking in 1937, will never be forgiven by the Chinese. Leon Li Chicago

We cannot undo the past, but we can avoid repeating Hiroshima in the future. I hope our politicians realize that. Jinmin Oh New York City South Africa's Dilemma

The South African government's violent attempts to control black political dissent [WORLD, July 29] are doomed to failure. Ultimately the young black militants will be driven into the arms of the Communists, who will provide these angry and frustrated revolutionaries with guerrilla training and weapons. Then the bloodbath will really start. James Snowden Long Beach, Calif.

We should have more patience with South Africa. The U.S. has been working on its minority problem for 200 years and has not fully solved the situation. South Africa needs more time. (Msgr.) Francis O'Duignan San Diego The President's Polyp

President Reagan's bout with colon cancer [NATION, July 29] has left everyone wondering how he or she might be affected by a similar condition and what preventive action to take. History may record that one of the greatest benefits of the Reagan presidency was the decline in colon cancer. Jack Blankley Los Angeles

At last all we harborers of the insidious polyp can come out of the closet. We no longer live with the stigma of having experienced what was once one of the most dehumanizing treatments yet devised by the medical profession. President Reagan has freed us and given us undreamed of social status. Robert H. Shaver Bloomington, Ind. Mission to Mars

Your article reflects optimism about a joint U.S.-Soviet manned mission to Mars by 2010 [SCIENCE, July 29]. This is commendable and desirable, but do not hold your breath waiting for it to materialize. One of the major reasons for my pessimism is that unlike the Soviet leadership, the U.S. Administration changes hands every four to eight years. This is not conducive to long-range planning. With new Administrations come policy shifts, fluctuations in funding and changes in attitude toward the U.S.S.R. If we were not able to go to the Olympics with the Soviets, how will we ever be able to join with them to go to Mars? Thomas P. Garmon Riverdale, Ga. Pens and Pampers

In your article "New but Not Necessarily Improved" [ESSAY, July 22], you assert that "ballpoint pens are better than fountain pens, and cheaper too." Do you not realize that a man is his handwriting, and his handwriting is his pen? The fountain pen is beaux arts, bold strokes, bound leather, polished brass and character. The ballpoint is Bauhaus, thin waterlines, paperbacks, plastics and personality. The fountain pen is John Ruskin; the ball point, Madonna. A man with a fountain pen in hand holds in the secret places of his heart starched cuffs and high collars, a company with "transcontinental" in its name, pince-nez, muttonchops, and dourvisaged exclamations like "There are laws against that sort of behavior, sirrah." The trouble with America today is that there are too few men with dour visages who exclaim "sirrah" and too many who skip, leak, jam, run out quickly and can be replaced for 69-c-. Robert E.L. Richards Westfield, N.J.

Pampers better than diapers, bah! Pampers are nothing more than smelly contributions to the local landfill. Diapers, on the other hand, can be washed, reused and washed again. Lillian Spangenberg Stevens Point, Wis. Stockman on Balance

No one likes to be misquoted, as I believe I was in your story on David Stockman's resignation [NATION, July 22]. As a person who served under President Reagan, I especially object to TIME's misquote that has me denigrating the President as a "simpleminded conservative." TIME's quote is a composite, pieced together from answers to different questions. I never said anything like the quote attributed to me. Neither was I "fuming" when I explained to your reporter that I thought Budget Director Stockman undercut his own budgets by taking extreme positions that lacked credibility in the Congress and by letting it be known privately that he thought tax increases were the answer to the deficit. Congress responded by letting budget cuts languish while waiting for the Administration to propose another tax increase. Since 1982 there have been four legislated tax increases (the Tax Equity and Fiscal Responsibility Act, known as TEFRA, which repealed much of the business tax cut of the previous year; the gasoline tax; the 1983 Social Security amendments; and the Deficit Reduction Act of 1984) totaling, according to the Treasury Department, $530 billion over a multiyear period. Paul Craig Roberts Professor of Political Economy Georgetown University Washington, D.C.

TIME may possibly have misinterpreted what Professor Roberts said but feels fuming is in the eye of the beholder. Risks of Radon

Your informative article on radon [ENVIRONMENT, July 22] failed to express the panic, frustration and helplessness people feel when they discover their homes are unsafe because of radon contamination. The number of people affected by this gas is larger than the number of those involved in many natural disasters. Yet for radon victims, the Government provides no relief. Combatting radon by sealing walls and floors is not necessarily effective after a building is constructed. A better method is ventilating the soil around the home. Lester A. Slaback Jr. Gaithersburg, Md.

The best way to overcome the problem of radon pollution in homes is by copious ventilation, made easier by providing cheap energy to replace lost heat. But cheap energy is not going to be available to Americans because of the country's attitude toward nuclear power, which is the cheapest, safest, cleanest form of energy. Jocelyn Maxwell Red Hill, Australia