Letter to the Editor: Ignorance Illuminated (Vol. 28, Issue 4)

To the Editor:

Instead of throwing light on a controversial issue, Mr. Botvinick’s analysis of our foreign policy only illuminated his own ignorance of the problems involved.  

At the beginning of the article he indicated a disenchantment with our government’s lack of forsight in dealing with the threat of world communism, but by the end of said article he sounds as if he is ready to tow the Kennedy line at the drop of an “All is O.K. with JFK” button. 

Mr. Botivinick’s problems are ones which face many Americans today, namely, that they are so used to Communist advances and to the conditioned reflex that is our passive foreign policy, that if for a change our Administration takes a positive stand against the Communist menace, no matter how weak it is an compared to other alternatives, they are pleasently, surprised and heap praise on, our “youthful and vigorous” President.

Realities

In reality, the government’s recent actions with regard to Cuba have only diminished the possibility of, ridding ourselves of the Communist cancer 90 miles from our shores because in exchange for the removal of the Soviet missiles from Cuba, the administration has pledged not to invade Cuba. 

And since, as almost any clearheaded person will concede, the only real and final solution is the invasion of Cuba, we were better off before the naval blockade when we had as yet not made any non-invasion promise.

The very fact that President Kennedy ordered only a naval blockade instead of sending in the marines, indicates that the fear of creating a bad image in the eyes of the world is still a large factor in determining foreign policy.

I am sure that the mere presence of American ships would not send Castro scampering back to the Sierra Maestras, nor would it send the thousands of Russian “technicians” back to their daches in the suburbs of Moscow.

Since today world opinion is synonymous with the opinion of the Afro-Asian neutralist bloc, who have consistently shown that they are impartial in favor of the Communists, I don’t see how there is hope, as Mr. Botivinick seems to imply, that the Kennedy administration will take a more aggressive stand against Communism in the future.

Yours truly,

Thomas Blass ’63