Voice of America

Sir:

We Americans present ourselves and our way of life to other peoples . . . through the press, the movies, the radio, EGA, world trade, and as tourists . . . The more conscious we are of this, the more careful we are likely to be to see that these contacts are friendly, honest and helpful. You have earned the thanks of many by giving a sampling of what one important contact, the Voice of America [TIME, May 1], is telling the world, and of the world's reaction. It is a reassuring report.

D WIGHT C. LONG

Ann Arbor, Mich.

Sir:

In your X-ray study of the Voice of America, your physician-reporters have diagnosed the Voice's ailment perfectly: "What the Voice needs above all is not more money or more memoranda from Washington, but simply better writing, sharper thinking, and plenty of blue pencils to cut the dull stretches . . ."

Would you buy the product of a sponsor whose program is nothing but a continuous commercial?

NADIR KAMRAN New York City

Car of Distinction

Sir:

Re your comment, "The trade-in value of British autos was low" [TIME, April 24]: Why trade them in? A Rolls-Royce or a Daimler will last a lifetime, and very little has been added to any car in the world that these two did not have 20 years ago except chrome. Is it that Americans have to keep up with the Joneses, or do average American cars wear out after a year or two?

An old car, like an old house, gathers a personality--my friends dubbed my 1924 Lancia "Lord Calvert."

JOHN R. BOWLES Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

No Knots

Sir:

Re the new $5,000,000 Great Lakes ore boat [TIME, May 1]:

No boat is rated by m.p.h.--not even the multimilliondollar, better than "two football fields" in length, Wilfred Sykes . . .

RALPH L. AVERY Oakland, Calif.

P: Let Reader Avery try fresh water; speeds of Great Lakes vessels are always computed in m.p.h., never in knots.--ED.

Cover Boy

Sir:

A million musical bravos (with crescendo) on your wonderful Gian-Carlo Menotti cover story [TIME, May 1] . . . Now I have a better picture of the man who has given me many hours of enjoyment, mingled with pathos and sentiments . . .

ALEX D'AMATO

New York City

Sir:

TIME has created a furor in our office . . . Mr. Menotti is a real cover boy . . .

BESS SILVERSTONE for the girls of Sterling Bolt Co. Chicago, Ill.

Whose Aspidistra?

Sir:

TIME [May 1] says: "Comedienne Gracie (The Biggest Aspidistra in the World) Fields . . ."

And all the time I thought this song should be remembered because of Bea Lillie.

Who is right?

MERRITT R. HOLLO WAY

Cincinnati, Ohio

P: Gracie Fields introduced The Biggest Aspidistra in London in 1938.--ED.

Friday Special

Sir;

You carried a crack by Mr. H. L. Mencken . . . bemoaning the fact that Luchow's Restaurant had been sold [said Mencken: "It's the end of civilization"--TIME, May 8].

As the corresponding secretary of Stamm-Tisch Hinterhaus, a luncheon club meeting regularly at Luchow's, I have been authorized to refute Mr. Mencken's dire prediction that civilization is coming to an end with the aforementioned sale. To the contrary ... the only change noticed recently is that the portion of Coconut Cream Pie (regularly served on Fridays since time immemorial) is a quarter of an inch larger . . .

ERNEST H. VOIGT New York City

Cold War

Sir:

Hats off to Dr. William Kerr for his effort to clear up the mystery of the common cold [TIME, May 1]. If other doctors and bacteriologists would be open-minded and alert on the subject, the virus theory would soon die its well-deserved death.

The report indicates that Dr. Kerr considers changes in weather as the most important factor causing colds, but he also includes dust, gases and emotions among the "usual causes." Four years' observation of colds in myself, relatives and friends would place emotions much higher on the list of causes--probably as high as weather changes . . .

HARRY HAMILTON Talladega, Ala.

Sir:

Colds are not infectious? Phooey! I have been plagued with colds for many years, and at least nine out of ten have followed an exposure to someone's coughing and sneezing. . .

AUSTIN W. NELSON

Seattle, Wash.

Rabid Foxes & Hats

Sir:

Regarding your article concerning my recent efforts to rid Henderson County of rabid foxes [TIME, May 1]:

1) "They've extincted themselves"--an ungrammatical statement attributed to me by your correspondent--is strictly a figment of his imagination ... I didn't say it.

2) Contrary to the implication of the article, my and Judge Spencer's motives in bringing about the hunt were genuinely altruistic, with nary an eye on either the rural vote or sales potential.

3) My "gadget" really works, as can be substantiated by incontrovertible evidence.

4) To the TIME correspondent who went along on the hunt: What the hell did you do with my hat?

Thanks for an excellent publication which, I assure you, is read and comprehended in these unlearned parts.

ADAM L. LINDSEY Brownwood, Texas

P: Reader Lindsey's hat (a Royal Stetson) was left in the back seat of the TIME correspondent's car, found in need of cleaning and blocking--which work is now in progress.--ED.

Bureaucratic Calm

Sir:

TIME'S April 24 article on Governor Lee of Utah . . . states in effect that the Bureau of the Budget was concerned because "Utah wasn't spending enough money, wasn't drawing her full allowance of Federal grants-in-aid," and that soon "an investigator was winging his way toward Salt Lake City to find out what was the trouble" . . .

TIME must be referring to a visit by a staff member of our Denver field office in April 1949 . . . An employee of the Denver field office went to several states, including Utah, to make a brief survey of the effects of Federally financed research grants on teaching personnel and programs of higher education . . . Contrary to TIME'S statement, the Bureau of the Budget was not excited over the grant-in-aid situation in Utah . . .

F. J. LAWTON Director

Bureau of the Budget Washington, D.C .

Bats

Sir:

Repeating Dr. Donald Griffin's experiment [for his sonar navigation experiments, he used bats which had been made to hibernate in a humidified refrigerator--TIME, May 1], I removed a bat from my belfry, chucked him in my refrigerator, rigged my oscillograph, and turned him loose.

Carrying the experiment one step further, I asked the bat how he managed to make a 120,000 cycle, 60 dyne noise. "Gripes!" said the bat, "with my teeth--it's cold in that refrigerator."

JESSE BERRY Seattle, Wash.

This file is automatically generated by a robot program, so reader's discretion is required.