Peace for Our Time?
Sir:
The man on the street, of course, is in a poor position to judge between the original position of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, in favor of occupying Formosa, and Secretary Acheson's "tailor-made logic" against it [TIME, Jan. 9], but many of us do remember something of the years that led to Dec. 7, 1941. During those years our skilled diplomats and statesmen continued to give convincing reasons why nothing provocative should be done toward Japan . . .
There [also] comes to mind . . . the "peace for our time" meeting with Chamberlain at Munich.
BENJAMIN KIRSON Holicong, Pa.
Sir:
For many years the U.S. has had a distinct policy that has guided it in its relations with the Far East. That policy was the policy of no policy at all. At least we can say that we have been consistent . . .
A similar weakness in governmental relationships with our world neighbors contributed to ultimate involvement in two world wars. Can't we see yet that temporizing pays off ultimately in catastrophes? . . .
JOHN P. Lozo Woodbridge, NJ.
Sir:
I am Czech, and I had to flee my country when the Communists took over . . .
Since the end of the war Russia has been swallowing up one country after the other; for the moment this process seems to have been stopped in Europe, but is going on in Asia all the time. The U.S. must realize that it has to make a firm stand somewhere in that part of the world if it does not want to see the whole of Asia overrun. Formosa is a unique possibility for the West to show its determination to stop the Communists . . .
JOHN C. BUBELA
Lima, Peru
Irregular H
Sir:
May a Baker Street Irregular correct a type-slip in your otherwise excellent note on the good old Strand magazine [TIME, Jan. 2]? Its editor in the great days was Greenhough (not Greenough) Smith. I'm sure he wouldn't have dropped his h's . . .
Greenhough Smith was a pretty good writer himself ... In an excellent anthology, Great Stories of Real Life, published in 1930 by Cape & Smith, he was represented four times.
CHRISTOPHER MORLEY Roslyn Heights, N.Y.
¶ To Author Morley, TIME'S tanks for a good catch. — ED.
Which Paper D'Ya Read?
Sir:
Your recent obituary on Cinemactor Emil Jannings [TIME, Jan. 9] said . . . that Mr. Jannings was Swiss-born, but Writers Deems Taylor, Bryant Hale and Marcelene Peterson in their book, A Pictorial History of the Movies (Simon & Schuster; 1943), state that he was born in New York . . .
JACK NEALON Columbus, Ohio
Sir:
. . . Walter Winchell says [Jannings] was born in Brooklyn . . .
ALTON JACKSON
San Francisco, Calif.
¶ Official Austrian and U.S. sources say that Cinemactor Jannings, an Austrian citizen, was born in Rorschach on Lake Constance, Switzerland. — ED.
Blue Flashes & a Small Beer
Sir: