The Cuban Disaster

Sir:

Another anti-Communist force has been beaten by Communists—by Communist Cubans supplied with fighters flown by Communist pilots, by Soviet tanks manned by crews trained by Communists.

The U.S. has become the greatest third-rate country in the world, a world not dominated by democracies, but being chewed up piecemeal by Communist aggressors. Communists took over in Cuba, are taking over in Laos while we worry about world opinion. It is time to stop stewing and fretting about world opinion.

Americans have become so gutless and cowardly that if Florida were invaded from Cuba and Texas from Mexico, we would probably call a 14-nation parley and cede the Southern states to them as long as they didn't cross the Mason-Dixon line.

It is time for Americans to stand up and fight for what they believe in. I'm tired of reading pieces of concise logic and skilled phrase. What I am looking for is a little love for and pride in our nation. I wonder if anyone else feels that way.

GLENN H. MOTTAZ

Los Alamos, N.Mex.

Sir:

At times we tend to forget the purpose the original 13 banded together for—to stop permanently outside aggression. Why couldn't we offer the Cuban people statehood? This would be much, much more than K. could offer them.

WILLIAM S. GRAY

Hawthorne, Calif.

Man in Space

Sir:

So the Russians have done it again! What a tragic waste of talent has gone into the duplication of effort in the U.S. and the British Commonwealth. With British genius for original research and U.S. genius for application and production, we could be way out in front.

The blame for our failure must lie fairly and squarely on the U.S. The Truman Administration, by its refusal to share atomic secrets, abruptly ended the Churchill-Roosevelt understanding about the full exchange of information. All too tragically the rift between us is widening. There seems to be a sneaking satisfaction in this country that the Russians have again licked the U.S., and more than a sneaking satisfaction in the U.S. about the continuing decline of the British Empire.

It is not too late for the U.S. to dismount from its lofty pedestal and renew the Churchill-Roosevelt understanding on a basis of full equality, with no strings (or royalties) attached.

K. D. BARRITT

Ashtead, Surrey, England

Sir:

Gagarin's alleged space flight, as reported is so full of contradictions as to be unbelievable. Your naive acceptance of this Russian hoax as truth is an insult to the intelligence of every thinking American and does a grave injustice to those engaged in our own space program.

JAMES S. TEMPLETON Chicago

Sir:

If the U.S. had chosen to use, in an all-out space effort, about one-half of all the money, know-how, skill, materials and enthusiasm that we have put into foreign aid programs, we would not only have a man in space, but we would in all probability have a foreign aid program going for anything that moves on Venus and Mars. I doubt if the people of this country would have it any different really. One of the unwritten laws of the land is that we put our money up where our mouths are.

(MRS.) MARCIA A. SCARDINO Rochester, N.Y.

Sir: