Letters: Apr. 28, 1967

Blisters from the March

Sir: Your frivolous treatment of the "Spring Mobilization to End the War in Viet Nam" [April 21] was in keeping with the foolishness of the event itself.

Nevertheless, however ridiculous the demonstrations appeared on the surface, they were anything but funny to several million American servicemen.

KENNETH F. STRICKLAND Captain, U.S.A.F. Arlington, Va.

Sir: From TIME'S article and photographs, one would think that the demonstrators were almost exclusively New Leftists, acidheads, pacifists, young, and not to be taken seriously.

TIME neglected to mention the veterans, many wearing campaign ribbons and decorations, who participated. TIME neglected to mention the many groups of professional people who marched; teachers and medical groups were well represented. My impression of the crowd was one of middle-class respectability. The turned-on, tuned-in, dropped-out set was a minority. Yes, Stokely Carmichael shot off his mouth, but he was more than counterbalanced by the reasoned arguments of the other speakers. Yes, there were some radicals and fanatics and Viet Cong flags. They were more than counterbalanced by the overwhelming majority of participants: everyday people who believe that patriotism demands more than unquestioning support of one's government, who remember that the standard defense at Niirnberg was "I only followed orders."

PETER VANADIA Manhattan

Sir: The march was not "fun." It was an exhausting six hours on foot; it rained; we were all cold and hungry.

You failed to capture the spirit of the marchers. The general attitude transcended that of the painted teenyboppers: celery, crackers and candy bars being passed through the crowd; patient waiting at every corner; ten strangers huddling together under one umbrella. The high spirits of the march did not stem from a lack of seriousness but from the good feeling of representing important ideals.

Maybe the march accomplished nothing concrete. Maybe its principles are too impractical for our Great Society. Love, brotherhood, peace: that's what the march was about. You should have been there. NORA K. LAFLEY ANN KIBLING Connecticut College New London

Measuring the Giant

Sir: As a naturalized American citizen and a New York resident for 20 years, I wish to congratulate you calorosamente for your benign, brassy, bothering, blatant, beautiful and very belated cover story [April 21] on my always beloved Brazil.

R. CHARLES EASTWOOD Manhattan

Sir: Some day, I keep hoping, you will grow out of this thing you have for dictators and stop your juvenile swooning over every two-bit muscle man who comes along promising to make the trains run on time by jailing every lefty and long-hair in sight. Now you're whitewashing your new Brazilian hero with the same holy water you have sprinkled so smugly over similar free-world saviors, such as Thailand's boss. This brings to mind your fairy tales about Diem ten years back. If we are to avoid getting ensnared in other tragedies like Viet Nam, magazines like yours had better start telling it like it is.

JAMES STANBERY San Pedro, Calif.