Letters: Apr. 29, 1985

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As long as apartheid exists in South Africa, the rioting will increase, the hatred and anger will grow. Imagine being prevented from living in cities, owning property or moving about freely. Sarah Hunt Dayton

Made in Japan

Stop blaming the Japanese for our trade deficit [ECONOMY & BUSINESS, April 8]. We are buying their products and causing the imbalance. The Japanese have penetrated the American market because they cater to it. Why can't we do the same by designing our products to fit Japanese tastes and cultural patterns? Lincoln Leung Los Angeles

Why are so many Americans inconsiderate of their economy? We should buy American and save our own industries. Mary Emerson North Sutton, N.H.

Your article "Call for Free Trade" started out in the right direction but missed the real reason we will never have free trade. Throughout history the only nations that have favored free trade have been those with a trading advantage. The U.S. does not realize that it has lost its advantage. When we finally wake up, the ship will have sailed with all our industrial jobs on board. Robert H. Harnar San Clemente, Calif.

Choosing Sides

I love Charles Krauthammer's article on President Reagan's Nicaragua policy [ESSAY, April 1]. It is time Americans realized that we can use our power for good and not feel guilty. President Reagan is correct to equate action like helping the contras with self-defense. Jonathan Morstein Falls Church, Va.

Krauthammer's twisted apology for "the Reagan Doctrine" is frightening. The U.S. did wrong to the people of Nicaragua by supporting Somoza for more than four decades. In 1979, when the Somoza regime was overthrown, it was natural that Nicaraguans would direct their anger not only at the dictator but at us. They turned away from us and toward Marxism. We could serve our national interest by helping these people. Edward Rapp Kent, Conn.

The kindest term I can use to describe the Reagan Doctrine is pragmatic. However, Machiavellian would be more accurate. The President has totally disavowed international law and the World Court as the moral authority in the civilized world. While this Reagan Doctrine may gain some short-term benefits, in the long run it will cause only the loss of what respect we still retain among the nonaligned nations and provoke a negative reaction wherever we go. The goal of world peace is ill served by the President's policies. Joseph A. McGee Lexington, Ky.

Hallelujah for the Reagan Doctrine. Support for freedom fighters can be self-defense, and we should aid friends in order to ensure the survival of liberty. We have learned that there are practical limits to what we can do. But we should not let these limits prevent us from doing anything. Liberty will not survive if we are unwilling to do what is necessary to maintain it and, yes, extend it. Kevin Bloom Los Angeles

The Reagan Doctrine is phobic and shortsighted. If we are to assume the role of international police force, we must concern ourselves equally with capitalist tyranny, as in diamond- and gold-rich South Africa, and Communist tyranny. If President Reagan cannot stand up against these wealthy and privileged tyrants, we are doomed to a dozen more Nicaraguas in the future. Burke Richardson Jr. Columbia, Mo.