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Your article on General Walker's separation from the U.S. Army [Oct. 9] has a touch of pathos. The real shame is that the morass of personal, political and bureaucratic intrigue enmeshing the Defense Department is such that seasoned officers are encouraged to leave. A general officer with the stature of Sam Walker cannot be replaced. Thus, the U.S. Army loses again.
Al Wallace Tulsa, Okla.
Are we to accept the Army's being denied the abilities of General Walker because of Secretary of the Army Alexander's irritation with Army Chief of Staff General Rogers? And President Carter acquiesced to this nonsense?
I don't care about the "social" problems of the Army. I do think able leaders and combat-proved generals should be given commands they deserve.
William J. Brennan Philadelphia
General Walker's case is symptomatic of our throwaway society, which discards so easily anything from old cars to human talent in the full expectation that "there is more where it came from." This is foolish in general, but downright dangerous in the case of human talent.
Walter E.A. Wolf Chief Master U.S.A.F. Washington, D.C.
Ambiguous Response
The San Diego mid-air crash [Oct. 9] illustrates that radar controller traffic advisories do not always assure sighting by aircraft crews. As an air traffic specialist who rides cockpit jump seat on all types of air carrier aircraft for flight familiarization in air traffic control procedures and navigation, I have heard callouts followed by the crew's response: "We're looking." In some cases the traffic was sighted. In others, it was not. And these advisories were for larger air-carrier type aircraft, not small Cessnas.
T. V. Keating Carol Stream, III.
The Golden Pit
It's sad to realize that pressure from Laetrile supporters [Oct. 9] can overcome knowledgeable sound medical research and come up with a $250,000 golden pit. Perhaps the National Cancer Institute should fund leeches, bloodletting and incantations, for they have really scraped the bottom of the barrel this time.
William Skogen Milwaukee
Too Little, Too Late
The "Innovation Recession" [Oct. 2] is the result of government policies, and the small revisions Mr. Carter now proposes are too little, too late.
The costs of R. and D. are great in terms of personnel, lead time, testing, development, promotion and marketing. When product profits finally begin to amortize costs, the antitrust department steps in.
(Mrs.) Toby Royston Exton, Pa.
As long as we overpay lawyers, doctors, M.B.A.s, stockbrokers and high-powered salesmen, the brightest minds will choose these professions rather than becoming anonymous lab-coat wearers with very few perks and low remuneration. I believe that there has been an overstress in U.S. business on "management." As a final irony to it all, the patent lawyer in a corporation drawing up a patent is likely to be better remunerated than the patent's inventor.
Eric Simon Houston
Hamburger by Any Name