Handling of Medvid Affair

Your editorial (Nov. 12), “Best of a Bad Job,” revealed our morbid fears of Soviet retaliation, lest we let them remove their young seaman from our jurisdiction, notwithstanding the congressional subpoena.

What Soviet retaliation? Detention of an American seaman trying to defect in the U.S.S.R.?

Our shameful actions in the infamous Simas Kudirka “episode” seem all but forgotten.

Aren’t we ever going to learn from our tragic mistakes?

I.A. FLAG

Long Beach