Cardinal’s Appeal for Artukovich

I would like to praise Roman Catholic Cardinal Timothy Manning for his letter to the court regarding Andrija Artukovich. He did a moral and courageous thing.

Artukovich has lived 35 years in this country as a good citizen. The same could be said of two other men recently deported. One had made substantial contributions to our space and defense efforts. The government recently said it is asking the court to deport 13 other old men to foreign countries and has 300 others under investigation.

Before anyone says they are accused of illegal entry, please justify our government’s giving legal status and eventual citizenship to millions of aliens who have broken our laws continually before being granted entry and amnesty.

The groups pressing the government to take these actions should stop and think about the precedent they are setting. Now they are politically powerful, but time has a way of changing things. Do they really want a 300-case precedent that says the U.S. government can lift a person’s citizenship if foreign governments, supported by powerful minority interests, claim that a crime was committed elsewhere and at a time before the person was granted U.S. citizenship.

LARRY GOETZ Glendora Your story of Jan. 5, “Support for Artukovich by Manning Called Shock” was buried on Page 23.

I am sure that oversight was responsible for this placement as The Times is certainly fully aware of the controversy surrounding the Roman Catholic Church and Nazi war criminals after WWII.

However, my shock at Manning’s support for Artukovich is equaled by (my surprise at) The Times’ placement of the story.

LLEWELLYN C. WERNER Los Angeles