Orwell's 1984

To the Editors:

The story on George Orwell [Nov. 28] provided a penetrating analysis of a book that is often misunderstood. Readers of Nineteen Eighty-Four should not fear the events described in the novel but take them as a warning of what could happen. Orwell's intentions were not to predict the future but to encourage people to think about it in an intelligent way.

Kim Solar Hamburg, N. Y.

Although the Nineteen Eighty-Four scenario has not come true, we can thank Orwell for his insights. In this age of MX missiles and nuclear freeze, Orwell has put the situation in perspective. He was so correct when he wrote, "In politics, one can never do more than decide which of two evils is lesser, and there are some situations from which one can only escape by acting like a devil or a lunatic."

Andrew Conte Parma, Ohio

Orwell's premise that in 1984 we will see our privacy invaded has come to pass. Your cover showing an eye hanging from the ceiling is similar to the security cameras in many of our public places.

Peter Koujoumis Tenafly, N.J.

It is ironic that Orwell, who was personally so decent and had such political common sense, created literature's most fearsome portrait of dictatorial rule. You failed to see beyond the obvious Orwell and recognize this ambivalence, which was quite possibly the essence of Orwell's character.

August Franza East Setauket, N. Y.

Man of the Year

Since TIME's Man of the Year is the person who has had the greatest impact on events for good or bad, I nominate

Judge Harold Greene, the federal judge who ordered the breakup of AT&T.

Sandy Ellison Oklahoma City

There can be only one choice: the American Marine.

Peter Verniero Durham, N.C.

The selection should go to the heroic Argentine airmen who, with total disregard for their lives, made the British pay a high price to re-establish colonialism in the South Atlantic.

Julio Argerich Ullared, Sweden

Pentagon Whistle Blower Franklin Spinney.

Bob Aitchison Deerfield, III.

It must be David Bowie.

Regina Garbe Hameln, West Germany

The American farmer.

Richard W. Hughes Thorp, Wis.

David Lee Roth, lead singer of the rock band Van Halen, who in a time of crisis and world tension brings joy to the hearts of millions of young people.

Paul Silveira Sao Paulo, Brazil

Ashley Bailey, whose fight against liver disease ended in death. This little girl's struggle, heightened by President Reagan's plea for a donated liver, has brought hope to other children whose survival depends on transplanted organs.

Charles G. Watson Clear Lake, Minn.

Dead Pilot

TIME'S readers [Nov. 2] criticized you for publishing the picture of the dead helicopter pilot on the Grenada beach. War is not pretty. This photograph showed the harsh realities of the invasion.

Linda L. Marshall Houston

Beleaguered Arafat

I was beginning to have sympathy for the P.L.O. under the leadership of Yasser Arafat. Now I learn that its members are killing one another [Nov. 28] because Arafat is not radical enough for the dissidents. The Israelis are right after all.

David C. Forbey Boonville, 2nd.

Unfortunately, wherever Arafat pitches his camp, he brings death and destruction.

Virginia Kelley South River, N.J.

I am surprised that the mayor of Tripoli did not have Arafat arrested for vagrancy, trespassing, vandalism, inciting a riot, committing mayhem and destroying public property.

Frederick Pederson LaCrosse, Wis.

Miami's Mayor

Re the mayoral election in Miami [Nov. 28]: there are two ways for a Cuban to be elected mayor in this city. One is for the non-Cuban population to move out. The other is for the Cubans to realize that Miamians are concerned about Miami and not Cuba. City hall is not the place to carry on the fight against Fidel Castro. It is tune the Cubans realized that Fidel is in Cuba to stay and that we should get on with taking care of Miami.

Ray Soto Miami

I remember the first influx of Cubans when I was in grade school in Miami during the 1960s. The Cubans left behind everything they had. When they arrived in Florida, they did not "steal" jobs from the blacks, as Black Radio Announcer Les Brown asserts. The jobs were there for the taking, and the Cubans took them, however menial. In a few years, the Cubans were starting their own businesses and were adding a colorful international flair to the city.

Robin D. Stout Gaithersburg, Md.

Divided Cyprus

I am a retired diplomat who has spent many years in Cyprus [Nov. 28]. It is wrong to think that the Greeks and the Turks, who are hereditary enemies, can live peacefully in a mixed Cypriot community. Since a compromise cannot be found, Turkish Cypriot Leader Rauf Denktash did the right thing by establishing a separate republic. I predict that in less than ten years an independent Turkish Cypriot state and an independent Greek Cypriot state will develop normal relations with each other. The international community should give Denktash's bold move a chance.

Etneric de Jongh Tenerife, Canary Islands

The Cyprus "green line" should be an international border, with the Greek part united with Greece and the Turkish part united with Turkey. Cyprus is not a nation and does not want to be.

Johann Fink Wood bridge, Va.

Almost ten years have passed since the Turks invaded Cyprus. The U.N. has passed numerous resolutions condemning Turkey's actions and demanding the withdrawal of its troops, but to no avail. Unfortunately, no nation is willing to pressure Turkey into removing its forces, which would allow the Cypriots to rebuild their war-weary island.

Lukas Kakogeorgiou Northville, Mich.

Budget Deficit

With the federal deficit running about $200 billion a year [Nov. 28], President Reagan may go down in history as the biggest spender with the biggest deficits. It is too bad, because in many ways he is our best President in 60 years.

George A. Casleton Sullivan, III.

Presidential candidates should promise that if elected they will balance the federal budget within three years or return their salary to the Treasury.

William D. Brown Hanover, Pa.

American-Style Catholicism

So Milwaukee's liberal Archbishop Rembert Weakland thinks Pope John Paul II "probably doesn't quite understand the American church's approach to dialogue and pluralism" [Nov. 28]. Many lay Catholics, like me, know that the Pope understands it all too well and is courageously trying to rescue the faith from the American Catholic Church.

Edward Montague Syracuse

You are wrong to depict the "tension" in the Roman Catholic Church as a result of "liberals" vs. "conservatives." What is at issue here is the Roman Catholic Church vs. the schismatic American Catholic Church. If the Most Rev. Raymond Hunthausen believes that the nontraditional liturgical practices in his archdiocese reflect the "spirit" of Vatican II, he is wrong.

Rose Grieco Montclair, N.J.

Archbishop Hunthausen refers to the submarine base in Bangor, Wash., as the "Auschwitz of Puget Sound." I ask him: What finally ended the slaughter at Auschwitz? Peace marchers protesting in front of Hitler's Berlin bunker or the Allied forces?

Scott Hansson Roselle, N.J.

I laughed cynically when I read that "the Pope himself has assailed discrimination against women." The Pontiff is obviously blind to the unfairness perpetuated against women in his church.

Kathy Klocek Madison, Conn.

I shiver when I hear Father Carl Peter say, "While remaining authentically Roman Catholic, we are becoming more and more distinctly American." It is time the church cleaned out priests who wear sports shirts, feminists who advocate a Mother God, and those who are turning funerals into cocktail parties.

Janet Regan Liver more, Calif.

I do not understand why American Catholics cannot place colorful balloons on a loved one's coffin as a sign of their faith. Among Mexicans, balloons are a sign of celebration and are used at many religious services.

L. Michael Colonnese Cuernavaca, Mexico

Meter Measure

By redefining the meter in terms of time [Nov. 28], scientists have succeeded in further mystifying measurements. In earlier days, measures were based on dimensions that were fathomable by ordinary people. A rectangle one furlong in length and one chain wide represented the area that could be plowed by a yoke of oxen in a day: one acre. Perhaps we could develop a similarly useful measure based on the length of a parking space.

Robert Raburn Oakland, Calif.

Europe's Marching Masses

Your article on the antimissile protests in Europe [Oct. 31] unfairly minimized the European peace movement. The important fact is that 700,000 West Germans did come out to protest the nuclear arms race. During the past months many marches have taken place in West Germany, making these rallies the largest mass movement since the Nazi period.

Marzo Giovanni Genk, Belgium

Wines' Ruins

I am thankful I do not live in an area where I would have to look at one of James Wines' buildings [Nov. 28]. If Wines wants to depict romantic decay in his architecture, let him design something that will stand the test of time and not begin as a ruin.

Dennis Kilcoyne Naples, Fla.

Ruins steeped in history are one thing, but to build fake dilapidated buildings and pass them off as art is something else. We have enough gutted structures surrounding most of our major cities without Wines adding to our depressing environment.

Bertram Greene Boston This file is automatically generated by a robot program, so viewer discretion is required.