Letters, Jun. 25, 1951

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Who in '52?

Sir:

It is alarming to me, after having carefully followed the Truman-MacArthur affair in TIME, and the reaction in your Letters section, that the most serious implication of this unfortunate episode has been missed . . .

Between the Truman muddle and the Republican fuddle, where are we? Nineteen forty-eight hasn't taught the G.O.P. a thing! I believe it's time for the Republican Party to clean house, and come up with a new slate; 1952 is just around the corner.

B. G. Hoos

Berlin, N.H.

Sir:

... I want to vote Republican, but I'll be damned if I'll vote for an outfit run by Taft, Wherry, McCarthy, Hickenlooper, Dewey, et al. Let's hear from Duff, Morse, Warren and other modern Republicans . . .

TOM MACHESNEY

Chino, Calif.

Sir:

... As a delegate to the Republican Washington state conventions of '46 and '48, I feel compelled to say this: the Republican Party, as represented by Taft, Wiley, Smith, Hickenlooper, Cain, McCarthy, Martin, "Bertie" McCormick and Hearst, is on mighty thin ice. The weight of sound logic lies with the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the U.N. and Truman.

The very inconsistency of the arguments of these men is demonstrated by their switch from isolationists to war-on-China-now. Six months ago, with Hoover as their spokesman, they said, "Let's sit it out alone." Today, with MacArthur as their new spokesman, they say, "Let's fight it alone." What a switch! And Taft leads them all in his absurd contradiction of himself.

DAVID H. DEIHL

Ventura, Calif.

The Picket-Story

Sir:

Three loud cheers for TIME'S June 4 article on the 43rd Division at Camp Pickett, Va. My fiance is one of the thousands of draftee replacements in this division, and reading your article was like reading one of his letters . . .

JANET A. DUNCAN

Dorchester, Mass.

Sir:

[A] really terrific article ... How can there be spirit in an outfit like this? Get rid of these officers and send us some men and we'll show the Pentagon an outfit . . .

(SERVICEMAN'S NAME WITHHELD)

Camp Pickett, Va.

Sir:

. . . Camp Pickett should be investigated, as is being done, but the big problem as I see it is General Cramer . . .

(MRS.) JUNE NEFF

Toledo

Sir:

. . . The situation here has improved . . . to the extent that we feel it our duty to put TIME readers' minds at ease by informing them we're all through crying, and if ever needed as a combat division we'll go and add a few more battle streamers to our already heavily burdened regimental and battalion standards.

PFC. ANDREW GAMBARDELLA

SGT. ROBERT LARSEN

Camp Pickett, Va.

More Collective Nouns

Sir:

Re the dither in the London Times over collective nouns for animals [TIME, June 4]: Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's 14th-Century romance Sir Nigel speaks of a cete of badgers, a singular of boars, a sounder of swine (when hunted), a nye of pheasants, a badling of ducks, a fall of woodcock, a wisp of snipe.

Modern prose might use new collectives for professional people and others. I suggest an ibid of historians, a ponder of scientists, a scathe of bureaucrats.

W. W. WOODSIDE

Pittsburgh

Sir: