Vietnam

To the Editors:

Many congratulations to Messrs. Irving Howe, Michael Harrington, Bayard Rustin, Lewis Coser and Penn Kemble for their statement on Vietnam in your issue of 8 November. It seems to be the most reasoned, coherent, prudent and forceful statement on the subject that has so far appeared.

The British spent several years between 1917 and 1921 at the invitation (so they claimed) of the Russian people assisting the White generals, Deniken, Kolchak, Wrangel, etc., with arms and money and men; the only result was to unite Russia against the invaders, and to make the Communist leaders into xenophobic dictators. It is not unlikely that the same behavior in another part of the world on the part of the US is having the same result, some forty years on. But it is good to note that though absolute power corrupts absolutely, it does not corrupt absolutely everybody—specifically not the signatories to the very dignified and intelligent protest in your paper.

Anne Fremantle

New York City