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Viet Nam was a political entity in the 18th century, though plagued by North-South conflict. With the penetration of the French, it was divided into the colonial units of Tongking, Annam and Cochinchina. Today's South Viet Nam consists of most of Annam plus Cochinchina, a fact that has profound political implications because of historical differences between the regions.
The economies of North and South are complementary, not self-sufficient. In the colonial period, the North was the industrial area with "mineral resources, and the South was the agricultural region. According to Bernard Fall, "The division of Viet Nam in 1954 left deep scars in the economic field as well as in the political field."
ERROL M. CLAUSS
ssistant Professor of History Salem College
Winston-Salem, N.C.
With Grace
Sir: "Cautious" we may be, and "old" we are, as you suggest in your excellent story on Peru [Aug. 5], but "packing our hags" in Latin America we surely are not. On the contrary, we are more active in more countries there than ever before. In 1961-65, our capital expenditures in Latin America totaled $73 million, an alltime high. This year they will be close to $30 million. Now that we have reached the $1 billion sales mark, our Latin American investment is a smaller percentage of our entire structure, and the "mix" has changed toward high-technology enterprises. The whole company is bigger, and so is our stake in Latin America—and growing. We like it that way.
PETER GRACE
President
W. R. Grace & Co. New York City
The Real McCoy
Sir: TIME'S story "McCoy's Navy" [Aug. 5] recalls my first meeting with Roy McCoy. He was building a bicycle rack for a school in Coronado, Calif. In contrast to the pickets who express their discontent by merely marching in circles, the McCoys are the kind of people who actively meet the needs of community life. Should hostilities cease tomorrow, McCoy would be looking for ways to build bridges of good will and mutual understanding. Ingenuity and creative action are part of his life style. HAROLD A. MACNEILL Chaplain, U.S.N. Portsmouth, Va.
Spiking the Ball
Sir: "Little played" indeed! Both indignation and surprise result from your monumental inaccuracy in describing volleyball in your L'Equipe story as a little-played minor sport [Aug. 5].
Volleyball is the No. 1 sport of the world from the standpoint of actual participation. It beckons both sexes, all ages from eight to 80, involves grammar school children on all continents, entices the octogenarians of the Himalayas, delights beach bathers throughout the world, has become a varsity sport in the armed services, and in 1964 became an official Olympic sport. The news media thrive on the spectator interests in the sports world, but it is the doer rather than the watcher who is the real sportsman.
HARRY PINCUS JR.
Tidewater Volleyball Association
Norfolk, Va.
Crash Reports