Cold War and Liberals

The wisdom of the electorate was never clearer than after reading Bruce Herschensohn’s self-serving and myopic view of the Cold War (Commentary, Oct. 24). To imply that the “leadership of the liberals” virtually committed treason during that time is irresponsible at best and typical right-wing nut at least.

During that time the Republican Party controlled the White House and, by extension, the CIA for the greater part of the “conflict.” Somewhere there’s a niggling memory of a news story that the CIA, dominated by Republican appointees, continuously misled U.S. officials, thereby costing the U.S. Treasury untold billions as well as inflicting a decade of instability and upheaval upon the people of the former Soviet Union. The upshot of the deception is that the Cold War was prolonged by policies of the “conservatives.”

One must thank whatever gods there be that Herschensohn does not sit in the U.S. Senate.

GENE R. TOUCHET

Cathedral City

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Herschensohn’s discussion of Cold War politics seems to be in the nature of a tirade against those he refers to as “liberals.” Herschensohn ignores the behavior of the following “liberal” presidents: President Truman threatened to use atomic weapons against the Soviet Union if it tried to permanently occupy Iran; President Kennedy supported the Bay of Pigs invasion and forced the Soviets down in the Cuban missile crisis; President Johnson supported and escalated the Vietnam War on the premise that it was important to prevent what was perceived to be a possible domino effect and communist domination in that region.

Further, congressional leaders of both major parties, both liberals and conservatives, maintained and increased military spending, engaged in strategic planning to oppose the Soviet Union throughout the world both politically and militarily, funded intelligence efforts to that end and were vocal in their opposition to communism and the Soviet Union.

This is not to say that many people who considered themselves liberals did not find common cause with the brutal political hegemony that we knew as the Soviet Union, but Herschensohn’s arguments are far too simple-minded to be convincing or taken seriously.

MORTON SCHAEFFER

West Hollywood