LETTERS

...Elder Pullman, Washington (More letters on Page 61) Memo Occasionally we permit other publications and organizations to mail their announcements, subscription or book offers to The Progressive's subscribers...

...It is obvious that for Friedman these are the "outrages of the Cultural Revolution" which he finds so disturbing and which he really does not understand...

...Catherine Alexander Madison, Wisconsin Clean Fusion Your editorial in the December issue on the "non-breakthrough" of fusion technology was a mistake...

...I find it encouraging that such an article should appear in a progressive magazine not devoted specifically to organic farming...

...What angers The Progressive's author most is that China's new leaders do not accept all of Mao's teachings...

...To lump together, as Friedman does, Mao's embrace of Stalin and his recognition of Pinochet, when in fact the context of those actions is completely different, serves only to distort the reality of those changes and the different political contexts in which Mao operated...

...Tillie Smith Redding, California Sexism I've been reading The Progressive regularly for the past three years and have found it a most penetrating and valuable source of ideas, information, and analysis...

...Is whether Jaws II succeeds in being suspenseful of more value than discussing whether such escapism dislocates our energy — or exposing stereotypes the movie succeeds in reinforcing...

...Quite the contrary...

...The typical farmer had always done organic farming, carefully collecting manure from his barns and feed lots for use on his land...

...2. In terms of Western traditions that some of us think are important — that is, civil liberties and all that is implied by the term — there is no gainsaying that Mao made no move in this direction whatsoever...

...In fact, it would seem evident that violence, persecution, and death were more the rule than the exception during the infamous Cultural Revolution...

...Again, that strikes me as a healthy tendency...

...Grosscup seems bothered not in the slightest about this last point...

...But in their enthusiasm, I would guess they will not ignore a couple of points Grosscup seems to have ignored: 1. Much of the "opportunistic" foreign policy presently being put into process by the "pragmatists" (such as dealings with the fascist regime in Chile) was begun by Mao...

...I do know that some of the important recent changes have been humane and most welcome...

...Given your author's claimed concern for human rights, why doesn't he mention the 100,000-plus victims of Mao's anti-rightist effort (whom Teng rehabilitated), the outrages of the Cultural Revolution, the victims of the ultra-left and, in contrast, the new stress on constitutional rights, newspapers as watchdogs, and files open, challengeable, and then (when the challenge wins) destroyed...

...Since when did The Progressive advocate the worship of the words of Chairman Mao so that it now feels betrayed...

...My husband and I will be glad to give them a sample lesson in budgeting and how to live the good life on their paltry retirement income...

...Actually, both claims are absurd...

...It is true that Mao had an ideology — a point of view — but that does not make him an ideologue who, having found truth, stops questioning...

...To argue that it is an uncritical essay about the life and times of Mao Tse-tung is a misreading...

...In fact, there is both constancy and change in Mao's ideas and actions...

...Your author may prefer to chant Chairman Mao's words...

...From the exteasive records compiled by author Schlesinger and other sources, I have been unable to find any evidence of this decision...

...Your article and many others in The Progressive are valuable contributions in bringing to light the wrong choices for the wrong reasons that our Government makes...

...To assert that the longer it takes to develop fusion the better is to take a reactionary position towards a concept which seemingly must not be understood by you...

...I confess a preference for the more recent Chinese policies which stand against the Soviet Union when it invades Czechoslovakia and for Yugoslavia when it struggles to maintain a semblance of independence...

...These happenings do not go unobserved...

...I never thought I'd have to write a letter to The Progressive criticizing it for an uncritical embrace of the thought of Mao Tse-tung...

...Bob Murphy Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Organic farming I deeply appreciate the article by Daniel Zwerdling in the December 1978 issue of The Progressive...

...Cause lobbyists and concerned individuals call on Senators and Representatives to protest...

...Jeannette Cleary Highland Park, Michigan...

...I could do a bit more nit-picking in regard to "Dust Bowl days...

...We who have for years belonged to natural food cooperatives throughout the country are only too cognizant of this fact...

...With a few exceptions, Friedman's presentation of facts is correct...

...It is also here that Friedman's presentation of the facts breaks down...

...Simply send your request, along with the mailing label from the back of this issue, to Teri Terry, The Progressive, 408 West Gorham Street, Madison, Wisconsin 53703...

...Prague Spring Jiri Hochman's letters smuggled from a Czech prison depict the no longer uncommon courage and resilience of dissidents on the other side of the Iron Curtain...

...The first two paragraphs of the article got me off to a bad start...

...The rulers of the United States used their power to impose upon China a cruel and harmful embargo and blockade...

...I support the development and use of solar energy...

...On the contrary, the evidence points to a period of indecision over many months, even as late as early March 1968, when he gave a BBC interviewer reasons for his decision not to run...

...Is adhering to tradition and the rules of some pedantic grammarians more important than acknowledging the presence and humanity of women...

...Howe" er, one editorial policy and one department make me very uncomfortable...

...No doubt, history will applaud much that Mao did during the course of his life — that is, left-of-center historians would applaud him...

...LETTERS Force and peace In your comment, "Don't Blame the People" (December 1978), you state that a "progressive alliance" should be formed by those who share your commitments and concerns...

...The Progressive's author sees this underdeveloped China seeking "to establish a foothold in the Balkans" and wanting "to fill the power vacuum in the Middle East left by the decline of Soviet influence...

...The Chinese people are being asked today to worship Mao less and think more for themselves...

...In his view, the Teng-Hua priority for economic modernization is a welcome relief to the politics of the Cultural Revolution...

...If you would rather not receive such mailings we will, of course, respect your wishes...

...Teng Hsiao-p'ing, who does not need a Soviet enemy for domestic ideological purposes (as Mao did) and who returned captured Soviet helicopter pilots with an apology, is potentially more open-minded than Mao on the Soviet issue...

...A global posture based on that understandable security concern led Mao tactically to welcome virtually all non-Soviet or anti-Soviet elements — and Princes in Cambodia, Kings in Nepal, military despots in Pakistan and Greece, Shahs in Iran, and Emperors in Ethiopia...

...The damage being done by chemical farming is so devastating and affects all of us and our children and children's children to such an extent that it is high time concern about it appeared in the general press...

...I have been concerned about the abuses of technology for years...

...Patrick's Day...

...Nowhere did I talk in terms of Chinese "control" of these areas as one does when discussing a policy of imperialism...

...There is a great deal of difference between that idea and my point that the new Chinese leadership (like Mao) has sought to take advantage of situations where the Soviet Union appears vulnerable (Balkans and Middle East) and where a Chinese presence might prove beneficial...

...Because I don't have 73 cents plus tax to buy a box of Kleenex or any other well known brand of tissues, my tears for Lunch and his inability to live on $900 a month caused my mascara to turn gooey...

...In fact, China is using its resources to raise itself from backwardness...

...Monique Soroka Milwaukee, Wisconsin I was so happy to read Daniel Zwerdling's excellent article on organic farming...

...One must take issue with this casual remark because it involves a matter of critical historical significance...

...With Peking-Washington rapprochement in 1971, the Chinese — with Mao still very much in command — began with huge industrial purchases to make up for the time lost because of America's quarter-century effort to isolate China...

...Because they reciprocate, we find this a productive way to attract new readers to The Progressive...

...Fusion seems to promise a clean source of electricity with few of the dangers of fission (excepting the problem of thermal pollution, a problem shared with solar technologies...

...I agree, the "supreme irony" is that the large-scale organic farmers are selling their produce to conventional agri-business corporations that mix it up with all the chemically contaminated foods...

...Friedman's second underlying assumption — that I, as a doting follower of Mao, "may prefer to chant Chairman Mao's words" — is unfounded...

...devotees of The Little Red Book...

...It was an expose of the complicated realities of the American agricultural quandary and a hint of the feasibility, or, rather, the inevitability of a return to organic (biological) methods...

...Finally, it seems a bit preposterous to claim that one farmer, surrounded by non-believers, can carry on perfect farming methods, if all his neighbors destroy the ecological balance and poison the atmosphere...

...Moral A. Quest Champaign, Illinois Robert Kennedy In his review of Robert Kennedy and his Times (November issue), Jules Witcover states that "there is evidence that he [Kennedy] had decided to run before the New Hampshire vote...

...Mao, you may remember, is also the chap who embraced Stalin and urged Khrushchev to crush the Hungarian revolt and tried to undermine Tito...

...It should be pointed out that the "meaningful politics" you desire involves the use and threat of Government force against peaceful property owners who may not share your politics...

...Turan is an incongruity who does not complement The Progressive's political thrust...

...I see more decency in these new and still fragile political beginnings in post-Mco China...

...I've been waiting for an article about food ever since I became a subscriber...

...However, Daniel Zwerdling's commendable investigation was a much more thorough article...

...William H. Fisher Missoula, Montana "Peking's New Imperialism: China's leaders turn their backs on the teachings of Mao Tse-tung" is the curious title of a grossly misleading article in the December issue...

...I don't know the future of China...

...East Europeans are people too...

...There is evidence that, had Kennedy been able to make his decision even as late as the year's end, McCarthy would have withdrawn...

...One would be inclined to think from the title that Grosscup is about to defend the late Chairman Mao...

...I don't want to be misunderstood: My point is not that the Chinese have anything like a uniquely altruistic foreign policy...

...I did independent studies on the dangers of fission reactors and on the potentials of solar and other alternative energy sources...

...Ironically, the charge Dr...

...Contrary to your author, it was Mao's government, not the post-Mao people, who recognized Pinochet in Chile and backed anti-MPLA forces in Angola...

...The major difference between Friedman and myself is of a political nature...

...Jaroslav Sabata, the former secretary of the Brno Regional Party Committee, has been arrested and jailed...

...It is interesting to know your author's ideological dogmas, but was The Progressive actually a devotee of The Little Red Book...

...J.H...

...Sabata is being held under is Article 155 of the Penal Code for "grossly insulting and assaulting a public functionary," but as Hochman mentioned in your article, "Facts cannot be changed by euphemisms.'' Margaret Kieckhefer Evanston, Illinois Porkbarrel Let it be known, Potomacus, in response to your comments in the December issue, that there are many, many peace-minded people and peace groups who have long been denouncing such ironies as saving $10 billion on dams and adding many more billions to the swollen military budget...

...Edward Friedman Madison, Wisconsin Beau Grosscup replies: I find myself in sympathy with Edward Friedman as to the obvious confusion created by the use of the word imperialism in the title of an article about the differences (and similarities) between Mao's China and that of Hua and Teng...

...He admits a preference for the recent changes which he labels decent, humane, and most welcome...

...I am hesitant to embrace policies that historically have proven problematic to socialism...

...Each time figures like this appear, a fusillade of letters and wires go to the President and Congress...

...It is only by creating a context based on these two assumptions that Friedman can chastise The Progressive's editorial staff as...

...There is literally not one comment critical of Mao in your author's article...

...The September 1978 issue of The Progressive did its readers a service by publishing a translation of these letters...

...As an alternative, whenever possible we offer our members organically grown and specifically indicated produce, grains (including flour and pasta made from these grains), dried fruits, and nuts and seeds at the lowest possible cost...

...As early as the spring of 1967 Kennedy had been urged to declare, notably by McCarthy as well as many representatives of strong minority groups...

...Can't you find someone who does...

...Your author contends that Mao's goal was to keep China's "trade with the capitalist nations to a minimum____" That claim is blatantly untrue...

...Otis W. Coan Palo Alto, California Finally The Progressive is finding its way to my heart — through the stomach...

...Zwerdling refers to Omaha as being in the "eastern corner of the Corn Belt...

...It is quite true that China, confronted by hostile Soviet actions and forces, has for more than a decade adopted a diplomatic strategy aimed at checking, weakening, or diverting that real and dangerous Soviet potential...

...When Lunch and his wife take to the great highways and byways of the United States in their $40,000 motor home they have a standing invitation to visit us...

...Previously imprisoned for his liberalization efforts during the "Prague Spring" and released at the behest of Amnesty Internationa!, he was apprehended during an October 1978 meeting of Polish and Czech human rights activists, and, according to one of those activists, was beaten about the face until he was covered with blood...

...But some do not...

...An ordinary reader expects an essay on some alleged new Chinese imperialism to describe China's exploitative economic penetration of weaker economies...

...If one drives through the corn-producing area of the United States, he will certainly observe that the Corn Belt runs eastward from middle Nebraska to Ohio...

...As a math and physics major in college I often struggled with where this type of training would lead me...

...Why does this person review films for you...

...They came on us not because of our failing to do organic farming...

...From at least the 1940s on, Mao found and stated that China needed a great deal of trade with the industrialized world to facilitate a rapid increase of wealth and a reduction of back-breaking labor for China's citizenry...

...Scholarship demands that when dealing with ideas, one go to the source of those ideas, and this I have done...

...I have just received word from a friend in Prague that another such dissident...

...Does he [do you?] tr ->k art is non-political...

...Is that really a source for disappointment...

...But as one who lived on the high plains and in a few midwestern states during the strenuous decades from 1915 to 1935, I have a bit of nit-picking to do in regard to a few statements...

...Robert Kennedy lost many staunch friends during the waiting period, but now it is difficult for most of us to avoid compassion...

...It was only a few days earlier that he himself was sure...

...It is hard to forgive, yet easy to understand...

...But I cannot support your position on fusion development...

...Let me tell you, "style" is much more beautiful when it's non-sexist...

...The linguistic sexism which characterizes much of the material you print is inexcusable and unnecessary...

...Why do you tolerate/condone it...

...Friedman makes clear his assumptions that (1) Mao was an ideologue whose ideas and actions remained static throughout his life, and (2) by pointing to the differences between the ideas of Mao and the policies of Teng and Hua, I too am an ideologue who "prefers to chant Chairman Mao's words" as part of my hero worship...

...I fully support the calls for a moratorium on the planning, design, and construction of fission power plants, and the eventual shutting down of existing plants if safety standards cannot be enacted...

...It is true that Mao gave diplomatic recognition to Pinochet's Chile...

...I have never read a movie review of Kenneth Turan's that had any useful insight or any value whatsoever...

...Kennedy's vacillation was exasperating for anxious supporters who left him reluctantly but in droves for the Eugene McCarthy camp...

...Your author ascribes to Chinese ruling groups capabilities they do not have and goals they'd be crazy to have...

...Thus, when you say you share a commitment to a peaceful society, you certainly have some unpeaceful means in mind...

...We had not sprayed chemicals all over the land by the early 1930s...

...I submitted the article under the heading, "China's Foreign Gamble...

...For example, while continually committed to socialism, his notions as to how to build a socialist society went through dramatic change, the Great Leap Forward and the Cultural Revolution being two cases in point...

...Should the title of the article have been 'imperialism Subverts China...

...He brings no politics to his analysis...

...How much of Friedman's upset with the essay was caused by the change is not clear, though much of what he questions in my analysis can be traced to a title which projects the idea that China has the intention and capability of imperialism...

...The Dust Bowl came about mainly because of recurrent years of drought, and partly because we had plowed the high plains in an attempt to extend the-wheat and corn belts into lands unsuited for that type of agriculture...

...It is China that purportedly is being taken over, not the other way around as your title misleadingly suggests...

...It matters not what the evidence might support, the only important point is that the public did not know what Robert Kennedy was going to do until St...

...My point simply is that it is a gross error of fact to claim, as your author does, that the post-Mao leaders of China have suddenly wrenched China's foreign policy to qualitatively new extremes of inhumanity...

...This is the same China which lacks the power or will even to keep little Albania in line...

...Instead, Beau Grosscup argues that it is China that supposedly is becoming dangerously dependent "on the capitalist world market," by carrying out normal trade...

...I admit to a preference for the policies of the Cultural Revolution that challenged the class structure, were anti-elitist, and began to develop all aspects of the society, not just its economic parts...

...He continually made overtures to the United States, Japan, and Western Europe in that direction...

...All requests to mail to our subscribers are carefully screened, and surveys show that most readers welcome these mailings...

...It was the United States which limited China's normal trade growth with these nations...

...He was continuously surrounded by close friends and brilliant political advisers pushing him hard in opposite directions, some insisting that he had to go, others at the same time warning him that a declaration for 1968 would tear the Democratic Party apart and lead to personal political suicide...

...I have deep reservations about those changes, especially if the Chinese are to be successful in building a socialist society...

...Is telling us about the newest trend from Hollywood more important than pointing out class bias or inherent racism...

...Several months ago the review of the book by Frances Moore Lappe and Joseph Collins, Food First, was an initiation to the issues of food...

...The essay suggests, however, that China has embarked on viciously expansionist policies...

...As a student of the concept and theories of imperialism, I too was disturbed by the printed title, as it completely changed the reference point of the article...

...and, indeed, on balance that is what he does...

...My claim was that under Hua and Teng there has been public praise of Pinochet as an "excellent leader," And in contrasting the actions of Mao, Friedman admits to a preference for such recent Chinese policies as the stand against the Soviet Union's invasion of Czechoslovakia in 1968 — but Mao died in 1976...

...Where is this economically poor, militarily weak China expanding to...

...He assumes that China, which he admits to be a second-rate power, can remain independent as it deals with the capitalist system of finance, trade, and ideology...

...What troubles me is that he places those facts in an incorrect political context...

...It is good to have the best magazine in the country backing environmentalists such as the Sierra Club, pointing out what agribusiness is doing to America's life and health...

...Douglas J. Wiebe Evanston, Illinois China today Beau Grosscup's article, "Peking's New Imperialism," in the December issue is, in the main, well balanced...