Letters, Mar. 21, 1960

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Your story on Caryl Chessman [Feb. 29] brought to mind Mark Twain's comments in Tom Sawyer: "The petition [for Injun Joe's pardon] had been largely signed; many tearful and eloquent meetings had been held, and a committee of sappy women been appointed to go in deep mourning and wail around the Governor, and implore him to be a merciful ass and trample his duty under foot. Injun Joe was believed to have killed five citizens of the village, but what of that? If he had been Satan himself, there would have been plenty of weaklings ready to scribble their names to a pardon petition, and drip a tear on it from their permanently impaired and leaky waterworks."

LAWRENCE DE FOY Los Angeles

Sir:

Perhaps we should grant Caryl Chessman a full pardon and deport him to Uruguay, or Brazil, or the Vatican, or London, where he is more fully appreciated. Perhaps they would like to have Governor Brown also.

VERNON W. WHIPPLE Fresno, Calif.

Sir:

"Selfstyled descendant of famed Poet John Greenleaf Whittier," Caryl Chessman is not only a criminal but also a phony. John Greenleaf Whittier never married, and therefore no one would ever believe that he left any descendants.

HELEN WHITTIER Gardner, Mass.

¶ Like Reader Whittier, variously removed cousins abound. There are no direct descendants.—ED.

Frustration at Squaw Valley

Sir:

Couples who went to the Winter Olympics at Squaw Valley [Feb. 29] found that, after paying $2 to park their cars about a mile from the area, another $15 at the entrance gate, they got to see very little. They could see the opening and closing ceremonies, the championship figure skaters and hockey players perform their brilliant best, only if they had an extra $50. We weren't even allowed to drown our frustrations at the lovely bar in the main lodge—that also being closed to all but officials and season-ticket holders. We gave up and went home to be greeted by the TV announcer saying that "officials just couldn't understand why this Winter Olympics was drawing such meager crowds!"

CAROLYN KIRBY

San Jose, Calif.

Religious Persuasion

Sir:

Oh, come now. With religion tipping the balance in the coming presidential election, how could you neglect mention of Pat Nixon's persuasion in an otherwise very good article [Feb. 29]? In what religion was she baptized and what religion does she and her family now profess?

ROBERT CARSON Little Rock, Ark.

¶ Mrs. Nixon does not know whether she was ever baptized, attended a Methodist church as a child, joined her husband's Whittier (Calif.) Friends Church, to which she still belongs, although the family now attends Metropolitan Memorial Methodist church in Washington.—ED.

Pamphleteering Sir:

I know you won't print this letter anyway, so I won't bother being polite. Your article on that Air Force pamphlet against Communism [Feb. 29] was very distressing.

You seemed to cut down the Air Force as though you yourselves were Commies. Let me remind you that the Communist plan for subversive tactics thrives on well-respected front organizations. What better front than a church?

M. O'HARA South Bend, Ind.