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Sir / I am not interested in the adjustment problems of the returned P.O.W.s. The number of P.O.W.s is an infinitesimal part of the total war casualties: American and Vietnamese dead never to return and the psychic and physical wounds suffered by American veterans of the war, not to mention Vietnamese soldiers and civilians. The jubilation over the returned P.O.W.s should be confined to their family and friends. For the rest of us, it only serves as a surrogate for a sense of victory and a detour from a sober reflection on the war and our motives for entering and continuing it.
LINDA STENGEL
Newark, Del.
Salutes to Mr. Bradley
Sir / The newly elected mayor of Los Angeles, Thomas Bradley [June 11], should have been on the cover of TIME. Not because of his blackness, but because of his enduring courage in taking on the fight the second time around against an old pro like "Good Neighbor Sam" Yorty.
I salute Mr. Bradley for being nothing but a man and for going after what he believes in.
JOHN L. LEE
Vallejo, Calif.
Sir / Hooray for non-prejudice! We have had a non-mayor for so long that this might be the man to change our luck.
R. ALAN JAMIESON
Los Angeles
Soothed by Terror
Sir / I have loved every one of H.P. Lovecraft's horror stories [June 11] that I have ever read.
I was therefore a bit upset when Philip Herrera began criticizing Lovecraft's style. However, his parody was so good and true—and terrifying—that my initial reservations were swept away.
JOEL BRENNER
Bayshore, N.Y.
Sir / Forget about H.P. Lovecraft. Where can I get a copy of Philip Herrera?
ROBERT W. BUTLER JR.
Kansas City, Mo.
Picky-Picky Pay
Sir / I take exception to one phrase in an otherwise fair report on the current Hollywood writers' strike [June 11]. You imply that $3,500 for a half-hour TV script is "hefty."
First try getting an assignment in a diminishing market, then try splitting $3,500 with your partner Uncle Sam, Ronald Reagan, the William Morris Agency, the Writers Guild, and other unsolicited silent partners with names like S.D.I., F.I.C.A. and M.P.R.F. You will soon find that your hefty $3,500 has melted down to about $900 and change.
When you spread this over a period of four weeks (the time it can take to write one of these episodes for picky-picky, meeting-happy producers), it comes to a little over $200 per week.
GORDON MITCHELL
Studio City, Calif.
The Dangers of Concentration
Sir / I am an air-traffic controller, and I consider that the use of such a device as Karel Mentor's antidream machine [June 11] would display not only a lack of professional trust but would be distracting to the point of disaster.
An air-traffic controller must maintain the ability to receive input information from several sources at once and put this information to use without delay; to concentrate on one item can mean danger.