Stimulants

When I read The Times article (Part 1, July 28) pertaining to Air Force pilots’ use of stimulants to combat fatigue, it brought to mind a what’s-new-under-the-sun experience I had almost a half century ago while serving as a cryptographer with the 610th Signal Operations Battalion during World War II.

When our outfit moved into a German Luftwaffe quarters near Braunschweig, Germany, we discovered a room filled with boxes of chocolates that had been impregnated with caffeine, a stimulant designed to keep German pilots fully alert during their flights. Although it always proved an eye opener for us, we never tired of stuffing ourselves with delicious German chocolates.

DELWYN G. SCHUBERT

Glendale