‘Reagan’s Just an Old Softie’

Sometimes your columnists are funnier than your comic pages. I nearly choked with laughter when I real Bethell’s piece about Reagan’s “compassion.”

Neither Bethell nor Reagan seem able to understand the contradiction in conducting the sale of thousands of weapons of war to a hostile nation in exchange for one hostage, and calling this an act of compassion.

Reagan’s occasional, maudlin, and highly selective act of compassion stand in marked contrast to the whole thrust of his Administration. If you conduct a poll among military contractors, wealthy entrepreneurs, and a few self-serving religious leaders, you might find agreement about his compassion. But it is doubtful that Reagan will go down in history as a compassionate President.

HARRY M. KEMMERER

Monterey Park