Men of the Year

Sirs:

I nominate as Man of the Year Mr. Average Citizen of London. It seems to me the heroism of the English people will exert a more important influence on history than will the contributions of any single individual of 1940.

LILLIAN F. BIDWELL

Ventura, Calif.

Sirs:

In the past I have been a pretty good guesser for Man of the Year but this year I am in doubt between Churchill and a typical R. A. F. pilot. You will have to choose one or the other.

W. H. HERRINGTON

Kingston, Ont.

Sirs:

I nominate as Man of the Year the great President whose continued services George Washington refused to preclude to the country by limiting the Presidential tenure to two terms; the President whom the long vision of the Father of his Country foresaw as the "man who on some great emergency shall be deemed universally most capable of serving the public," Franklin Roosevelt.

HOMER RUNDALL

Molalla, Ore.

Sirs:

I nominate Wendell L. Willkie as Man of the Year. ... In his defeat there is no humiliation. On the contrary, his stature seems to rise and he becomes even more outstanding among the many great men who have featured this year's panorama.

L. C. GROSJEAN

Shreveport, La.

Sirs:

For Man of the Year, I nominate the Chicago Commissioner of Sewers whose sound effects from the basement of the Democratic Convention preserved for another four years "our way of life."

TOM P. MATHEWS

Monterey, Calif.

Madero's Downfall

Sirs:

In a story on Mexico in your issue of July 15, you state that the late U. S. Ambassador to Mexico, Henry Lane Wilson, "helped plan the downfall and murder of Francisco Madero in 1913." This is one more repetition of a flagrant falsehood which has persisted for 27 years. I ask TIME's aid in squelching it for good. . . .

To be anti-American is now the greatest of political assets in Mexico, and the false tradition of the martyrdom of Madero hence has great expediency. Actually, many well-informed Mexicans think that the assassination of Madero was not political. Madero had many personal enemies. For instance, only a few days before his death Madero had, in one of his maniacal frenzies, personally shot two members of his own staff, when they tried to persuade him to resign after the report was confirmed that General Blanquete, whose troops had been called into the city to aid Madero, was training his guns on Madero's palace. There is abundant proof, attested by written statement of the Ambassadors of England, Spain, Germany and Brazil and by the American colony in Mexico City, that Ambassador Wilson did everything possible to insure the safety of Madero, and that his arrangement of a special train to take Madero out of the country was foiled by a plot by Madero partisans to rescue him from the train. Friends of the writer were with Ambassador Wilson when he received the news of the death of Madero and have testified to his surprise and indignation.

Henry Lane Wilson often discussed this entire matter with me. We were close personal friends; I spent much time in his embassy in Mexico City, and the Ambassador and his family were often in my home. It is unthinkable to anyone who knew the Ambassador that he should have participated in any improper way in the downfall of Madero.

W. F. BUCKLEY

Sharon, Conn.

>TIME regrets that it did not have access to Reader Buckley's information before, is glad to clarify such accounts as that of Ernest Gruening (Mexico and Its Heritage] which said: "When the Madero regime was assassinated by a handful of military plotters, actively abetted by the American Ambassador, Henry Lane Wilson. . . ." The evidence appears conclusive that Ambassador Wilson played no improper part in the Huerta-Diaz coup.--ED.

No Pedantry

Sirs:

I have read TIME with undiminished satisfaction since 1924, and there would be no point in my telling you the number of things I think you do superlatively well.

But the one paragraph on p. 92, Nov. 18, beginning "The Cock of Heaven is craftily written," is worth the price of a year's subscription (to fall into an abyss of incommensurables). Much criticism of poetry is worthless, for a variety of reasons. TIME's is never pedantic and never pretentious, so that one might be lulled into forgetting the excellent judgment that goes into it. ...

T. H. B. ROBERTSON

Springfield, Mass.

Election Polls

Sirs:

Your prejudice toward Roper is understandable, but for accuracy's sake why not quote his sectional error, which averaged 7.4%, while Gallup's average error on same sectional basis was only 2.1%. Roper was lucky to come out so close on over-all figure. He did come out on top, but neither he nor you should do any bragging about it to the detriment of Gallup.

MRS. LOUISE MARZONI

University, Ala.

>TIME's poll roundup cast no disparagement on Pollster Gallup, who calculates his own sectional error at 2.5%, FORTUNE's at 7.0%. Says FORTUNE's rotund Publisher Eric Hodgins: "Some amateur analysts of the polls have been looking at FORTUNE's geographical breakdown figures as published in the November issue and, finding many deviations between these figures and the actual, have said in a shocked tone, 'Why, your final accurate figure of 55.2% for Mr. Roosevelt is nothing but a compensation of errors!' To which the answer is, 'Of course it's nothing but a compensation of errors!' The very essence of the technique is to make your errors compensate and not accumulate. . . . Mr. Roper has many times stated that he places no significance in any Presidential figures except the over-all." In fact, it was against Pollster Roper's wish that FORTUNE's sectional figures were made public at all.--ED.

Atlas

Sirs:

TIME's Atlas of the War is a fine job of cartography, and particularly valuable at the present time. . . .

BOBBE SCHNITZER

Portland, Ore.

Sirs:

The least a purchaser of TIME's Atlas of the War can do is to say, sincerely, "Thank you!"

R. W. GRAVES

Buffalo, N. Y.

At Penn Station

Sirs:

Reporters who saw the incident in New York's Pennsylvania station Oct. 28 involving White House Secretary Stephen T. Early regard as outstandingly poor reporting TIME's version published under the heading "Early's Temper" in its election issue.

At least two members of the White House Correspondents' Association who were present at Pennsylvania Station published first-person, eyewitness accounts of what actually occurred. One was John C. Henry of the Washington Star, a copy of whose story is attached. Another was Raymond P. Brandt of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. TIME's version agrees with neither.

Newsmen who were present unanimously agreed that Mr. Early was the victim of an unfortunate incident and do not concur in TIME's report that Mr. Early "misbehaved in a way no decent citizen should." Newsmen who were present challenge TIME's presumption in purporting to voice their sentiments by saying they were "sorry for him, blaming it all on his hot temper."

Mr. Early became involved in this situation only after Washington newsmen and other members of the White House party appealed to him to intercede with the New York police to permit them to board their train. He acted only on our appeal to exercise his rightful authority as secretary to the President. Eyewitnesses agree that he was courteous in the extreme until the Sergeant and the police in the Sergeant's detail refused to examine his credentials and used force to hurl him back into the party he was seeking to accommodate.

We suggest that TIME use the formula ordinarily followed by reporters and check its version with the eyewitnesses of this incident.

THOMAS F. REYNOLDS

President, White House Correspondents' Assn.

GEORGE E. DURNO

International News Service

JOHN C. HENRY

Washington Star

RAYMOND P. BRANDT

St. Louis Post-Dispatch

BRUCE PINTER

New York Herald Tribune

>To able Correspondents Reynolds, Durno, Henry, Brandt and Pinter, all credit for standing up for their views, Editor & Publisher, after getting the opinions of the numerous correspondents, wrote, "The consensus was and is -- that Secretary Early was victimized when he attempted to perform a service to the newspapers of the United States." Correspondent Henry's article described the patrolman's injury as sheer accident. TIME actually interviewed eleven eye witnesses before writing its story and believed its account was factually accurate. TIME did not intend to imply that Secretary Early was the aggressor.--ED.

Bombs on London

Sirs:

For some time I have been sending TIME to my son, who up until recently was at Eton and Cambridge and is now training for a commission in a Guards regiment. He and his mother have been living all during the war in our house in England, which is situated in an area in the country where fighting in the air is taking place practically every day. He is just 20 years old. His mother is an American and he himself was born in this country. I have just received a letter from him, from which I give you an extract. . . .

New York City

Excerpt from the son's letter:

. . . Mum and I have been reading TIME with great interest and we were both considerably startled by an article [TIME, Sept. 23] which stated that London's nerve was going--or gave that impression. ... So it was with great interest that we went up to see for ourselves. I can only presume that American correspondents mix with a low class of Englishman, or have no real friends amongst the solid shop people of London. . . . Anyhow, here are Mum's and my impressions of London on a day of low cloud and continuous alerts.

. . . On reaching London, just before the river, we heard a heavy bomb fall very near us--and it made the hell of a bang. The streets were quite full. Several boys on bicycles leapt off pretty quick, some pedestrians moved under doorways, a carter dived for the head of his horse, but most pedestrians kept right on, and I didn't see a single car pull up. The bomb was followed by the bang-whoosh of ack-ack, and still people kept right on. There was not a single sign of anybody panicking. . . .

Later we visited Murray's bank. While we were in there the roof spotter sounded the alarm on gongs. The little man serving us said, "I suppose I ought to show you our vaults." We said we would take the risk if he would, and he said the gong-sounding irritated him as he had to stop his work, and that he was glad to stay upstairs. He also said the commuters in his daily train had reduced traveling to a fine art. When they heard a German plane they took the seats out of their carriage and put them against the windows. ... No lack of nerve here, I think you'll agree. Just quiet British common sense.

And in another shop where the glass roof had been smashed, an elderly lady assistant was completely unmoved when planes flew over, and merely pointed out to us that perhaps we would like to move away from the open roof. I met no one who has actually been injured by a bomb. Perhaps it is to them that correspondents talk, and from whom they gather impressions, and the injured cannot be expected not to have suffered from shock. In spite of TIME, I say London's nerve is unbroken, and that London is carrying on. . . .

>The TIME story in question described conditions in London in mid-September, during severe raids, and the above letter was written on Oct. 27, some six weeks later, at a time when air raids were less severe. The account of this young man on a day's visit to London has to be set beside such accounts as the following, written to her sister in the U. S. by a young Englishwoman, Lady Caroline Paget, serving as an Ambulance Corps driver.--ED.

Oct. 10th

The first fortnight was, as I expected, a nightmare of horror and sleeplessness. I am stationed in a large school in the S. W. of London--over the river--it only takes 15 to 20 minutes by bus from Sloane Square. There has been a good deal of damage around that part--in fact we have had it "good and hot." Little streets all round us have had houses demolished, and our building has had several pretty bad shakes and plenty of broken glass. All the people are quite amazing. They just laugh and make the best of it and hang their coronation or Jubilee Union Jacks out of their shattered window frames.

Oct. 26th

. . . One of the most important things of the day is to get supper in before the sirens go -- so a great deal of hectic cooking goes on, on the messroom gas stove (if the gas is on) eggs -- bacon -- soup or tinned spaghetti, etc.; then as the sun sinks -- off they go -- then a great deal of moving beds into the passage --except four of us who have decided to risk it and sleep in the bedroom -- we have hung up tarpaulin etc. to stop too much flying glass. Then cards or ping pong or gossip. Well --say we are playing rummy -- suddenly the buzzer goes -- the express driver* dashes into the hall -- and out -- so I get into boots --mask, helmet, etc. -- then again the buzzer --"Two cars to Lowdon Road." I dash out -- it is a moonlight night -- thank God.

Get into the car -- fiddle for the switch --damn it's cold -- will she start? -- yes, thank goodness -- the guns are firing -- flashes -- I feel quite excited -- three men bundle in the back -- one in front by my side -- off we go ... out into the main road -- there are long lines of stationary trams -- the light's against us -- against all rules I creep across -- then the way gets complicated but the Squad Leader directs me -- at last -- yes -- this is the road -- some lights -- some people -- some ambulances also arriving --the Squad Leader jumps out -- glass on the road makes a crunching noise under the tyres.

The Squad Leader returns, having found out from the Warden that there is, say, a man and wife buried and a boy got out -- so the men take three stretchers off the top of my car and most of the first-aid equipment -- I back the car over more glass and round a small crater. . . .

One small house is just a lump of bricks in a garden -- there is a stretcher on the pavement with something on it -- then someone calls for a blanket -- I go back to the car, return with blanket which is put over the body on the stretcher -- it's not dead, anyway. There are dozens of men in tin hats flitting in and out of the shadows -- another stretcher is brought out of the debris -- they are both placed in an ambulance which drives off.

I stand against a little wall -- almost subconsciously I have chosen the place that I shall throw myself down on when the time comes. I crack a few jokes with a policeman -- feel glad that there is no "time bomb" in the street -- there so often is! The P. C. wanders off -- I find someone else to talk to --it's terribly important not to be alone --eventually two of my men appear with three stretchers. . . .

Someone will have to go on C. D. P. (a much detested job) at dawn. Civil Death Party. Cold grey dawn waiting by the car while the poor men pick up the pieces dug out by the demolition squads and tie them up in sacks.

I sleep well now -- through all noise -- and the mornings are lovely -- to find oneself still alive -- and know there is but little time now before one goes off duty. . . .

*The signature, omitted by request, is that of a prominent international businessman. *First up in the driving order.

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