Media Coverage of Terrorists

Carl T. Rowan’s article (Editorial Pages, July 1), “Throwing our Bulk Around Made U.S. the Prime Target,” omits a crucial point. It is not simply “throwing our bulk around” that makes the United States a particularly vulnerable target. If that were the case, the Soviet Union, which is equally involved in the internal affairs of other countries, would be similarly affected.

The reason we are, and the Soviets are not targets, is that our democratic system and the journalistic freedom that are a necessary part of it enable terrorists, which once just left random notes and ran, to use the media as a channel, through its effect on the U.S. electorate, to put pressure on the U.S. government.

The Soviet Union, with its relative immunity to the political pressure of its electorate, lacks this channel and so is much less susceptible a target.

WILLIAM A. MUNDELL

Santa Monica