New Beauties

To the Editors:

Praise for Nastassia Kinski is long overdue [May 2]. It is only a matter of time before this talented beauty snags a role that will bring her the acclaim she deserves. And if Kinski does "fall in love on every set she's acted on," may I have an invitation to be an extra in her next film?

Mark J. Dorson Tempe, Ariz.

Nastassia Kinski's performance onscreen is sufficient evidence that she does not have to rely on her beauty to captivate an audience.

Alfred P. Hall Newton, N.J.

Your hot faces from Europe leave me cold. I was particularly struck by their deadpan, pouting expressions. These actresses have good reason to smile. They make enough money in one week to feed a family of four for a year.

Gwen Krause Hoboken, N.J.

What is it about Nastassia Kinski that makes journalists babble like half-baked poets? You spew out this "child-woman, woman-child" hogwash as if it were a controversy important enough to be given more than a passing thought.

Andrew Morse New York City

Rhyme for Hitler

Did Hitler keep a diary? (The very thought's unnerving.) Could Stern be making fools of us? (And where is Clifford Irving?)

Peggy Clarke Snow Madison, N.J.

Beirut Bombing

The true horror of the Beirut embassy bombing [May 2] is that there is little that the U.S. can do to prevent similar acts in the future. Nevertheless, America must stick to its commitments in the Middle East. If we back out now, the terrorists will have accomplished their goal.

Jeffrey Haight Barker, N. Y.

Anyone who believes peace can be achieved in the Middle East is an idealistic moron. Fanatics pushed us around in Iran and now in Lebanon. Before we get these radicals to stop murdering one another, we had better find a way to make them stop killing us.

Peter F. Hoey Demurest, N.J.

Brutal Execution

The death penalty may be necessary, but the way John Louis Evans died, after three electrical jolts, is inexcusable [May 2]. Execution can never be humane. The least we can do is make it efficient and as dignified as possible.

Linda Berry Callahan, Calif.

The American public should not be made to feel guilty when a "classic posturing punk" who committed a heinous crime and had his day in court is finally removed from our midst.

Dianne M. Pytel Tiffin, Ohio

Reich's Remedy

It is obvious that Harvard's Robert Reich [May 2] springs from the same source as John Maynard Keynes and John Kenneth Galbraith. Can anyone seriously suggest expanding the role of Government in business? It is just this kind of interference that has had a destabilizing influence on our economy. Reich's proposals can only result in further currency debasement, greater unemployment, less productivity and, finally, in an almost certain economic debacle.

Lowe H. Bibby Kailua, Hawaii

Good Grades Pay

At last, hard-working students with gray matter are being rewarded with scholarships regardless of financial need [May 2]. Intelligence should be the equalizer, and good grades a goal that will be compensated.

Vi Anderson Seymour, Ind.

Colleges and universities, while they should not stop providing funds for needy students, could also honor the hard-working graduate by awarding scholarships based on merit. I am a high school sophomore who, after reading your article, was inspired to "hit the books."

Jeanine Jeo Hi Kim Jersey City, N.J.

It is time that excellence in academic performance was tangibly rewarded. College bureaucrats who are concerned about the ethics of giving financial aid to students not in need should be reminded that for years athletic scholarships have gone to star performers, not needy players with butterfingers.

Todd Lofton McLean, Va.

Boos for Bok

The Law section [May 2] contains a provocative juxtaposition of stories. First you give us a description of former Moscow Attorney Dina Kaminskaya, the Soviet lawyer who does not regret having defended dissidents despite her ruined career and forced exile. Then you report on Derek Bok, the redoubtable Harvard University president, who says the law adds little to "the pursuit of culture or the enhancement of the human spirit." I am sorry, Mr. Bok, but I could not help feeling enhanced as I read of Kaminskaya's courageous example.

David Wurm Omaha

I was impressed by the courage of Kaminskaya, who represented individual clients charged by Soviet authorities with antisocial acts. I was unimpressed, however, to read in the next article that Bok believes it is unfortunate that American law students are taught to think in terms of the interests of individual clients rather than the society as a whole. It is because the American judicial system puts the rights of individuals above the perceived interests of society that we have no Bukovskys or Marchenkos languishing in an American Gulag.

Milton H. Gordon Berkeley, Calif.

Simulated Cocaine

Your recent article on cocaine [April 11] says I offer "recovering overusers a toot of cocaine to test their resolve." This is an inaccurate description of a desensitizing method I pioneered. I present the cokenders not with the actual cocaine but with a simulated powdered or liquid form of the substance. When faced with the substitute, they note their internal reaction while saying, "No thanks, I've quit," or "I'd love some and I won't."

Richard Louis Miller Williams, Calif.

Steel's Givebacks

Your article "Steeling for Some Givebacks" [March 14] contained some misleading information regarding Northwestern Steel & Wire Co. Contrary to what you say, Northwestern Steel is not on the verge of collapsing. In addition, the significant concessions to which you refer were granted only by employees of our Rod and Wire Products Division. The givebacks did not involve our larger Hot Rolled Products Division. The reductions in wages and benefits will save the company $7.12 for each hour worked. The actual pay reduction for the employee is about $4.50 per hour.

Peter W. Dillon, President Northwestern Steel & Wire Co. Sterling, Ill.

Paying Pepper's Piper

Re your article on Congressman Claude Pepper [April 25]: he may deplore the stereotypes of the elderly, but Pepper is not above using them when it suits his purpose. He has been so successful at depicting all elderly as indigent that senior citizens now enjoy Social Security benefits far in excess of their payments into the system. This windfall is at the expense of the workers now under 40. They have no chance of recovering the funds involuntarily withheld from their paychecks.

Vern Kleinsasser Dresser, Wis.

Your story on Pepper could not have been more conveniently timed. In Boston we are putting together a nonprofit organization designed to create employment opportunities for men and women 55 and older. Our operation is patterned after a group in Chicago called ABLE CHICAGO. More than 5,000 people have found employment through this agency.

George S. Patton Major General, U.S.A. (ret.) South Hamilton, Mass.

Tis the Season

As a survivor of northeastern Pennsylvania's often bizarre weather, I applaud your Essay on the seasons [May 2]. We should never forget that seasonal tribulations have inspired many of our technological advances. The times of year are part and parcel of our souls and a constant reaffirmation of life.

Shelley A. Wilson Harford, Pa.

Your Essay asserts that "it is difficult to get one's bearings in time if one stays too long on Oahu." Obviously, you have not been on Oahu long enough. Old-timers here have their ways of following the seasons. Mine is with the flowers. It is spring when I see the first gardenia, and summer when the shower trees are ablaze in yellow and pink. Finally, when the poinsettias bloom, I know it is winter.

Rosemarie Holmes Honolulu This file is automatically generated by a robot program, so viewer discretion is required.