NEWS IN REVIEW

In the review of Penny Lernoux’s “People of God” (Book Review, April 16) the first five paragraphs were moving and disturbing, not only to me but to others with whom I shared them.

The sad scenario was of villagers in Guatemala ordered by the army to kill their own catechists.

The review then briefly noted the thousands of others killed and the villages destroyed in that period of early to mid-’80s.

Lernoux blames the dictators--”our dictators.”

The emotionality--and maybe the figures cited--of these five paragraphs is perhaps greater than in all the coverage, or non-coverage, by the Los Angeles Times.

During that time, the Iran-Iraq war received continuous first- and third-page attention; the U.S. government slant on the Contras was reported copiously. But how many of your readers could tell that the mountains of Guatemala ran with the blood of perhaps 100,000 Indians killed by a string of “our dictators”?

This week (April 19), a Times lead story announced “China police break up pro-democracy protest.” Indeed, the action in that Communist country merited a striking color photo. What of Guatemalan protests that ended in death?

In an atmosphere of client-statism--which describes the ties between the United States and Guatemala--real coverage of the tragedy of careening military viciousness seems to demand almost an investigatory resolve by newspapers and other media.

That the issue finally made it to a Times front page--of Book Review--is far more to Lernoux’s credit than to yours.

MICHAEL JONDREAU

LOS ANGELES