University of Virginia Library

Reader Replies To Ogden

Letters To The Editor

I was quite amused when I read
Mr. Ogden's letter of Nov. 2,
until I reread it and had to conclude
that he was serious. He objected
to the letter signed by fifteen faculty
members condemning anti-war
marches. He stated three reasons,
each was meaningless:

1) He talked about fundamental
misunderstandings of the nature
of the war and offered evidence
to prove his own opinion was correct.
In that "proof" he cited
"domestic successes of Hanoi,"
Allow me to point out that as
of 1960 (before massive aid was
being given to both sides), the
Hanoi government was an obvious
economic failure and that the Saigon
government, with all its
trouble, was an economic success.
May I suggest that the Hanoi
government is unwilling to negotiate
because it must either foster
the hope of or obtain a complete
victory, or perish.

2) Mr. Ogden is in his fourth
year here at the University. Possibly,
this explains why he would
arbitrarily insult fifteen distinguished
men. In any case no
more evidence is needed to show
that he is a very foolish individual.

3) Finally, these gentlemen are
not objecting to dissent; rather,
they are objecting to the gross
disrespect for legal authority associated
with such marches.

Proud Of Faculty

In the midst of all the turmoil
and confusion of these terrible days
when draft card burners go unpunished,
incendiary speech
makers never seem to be halted or
even reproved, when various organizations
are allowed to encourage
treason (there is no other
suitable word for it), when a college
professor expressed the hope
the communists will win the war in
Vietnam, when officials in high
places in government, even U.S.
Senators make statements which
can not help but give aid and comfort
to those who would destroy
us, and there are many more views
too numerous to enumerate here,
there is still an occasional incident
which stirs renewed faith in our
country. Such an incident occurred
this last week (Tuesday) when
sixteen faculty members of the University,
established by Mr. Jefferson,
had sufficient patriotism to
stand up and be counted as supporters
of the great men who
founded this republic. Gentlemen,
I feel sure that if you will go part
way up to the hilltop at Monticello
and stand there in the quiet
of that spot, you will hear Mr.
Jefferson say, Thank You Gentlemen,
you have acted in the best
tradition of the University, The
Commonwealth of Virginia, and of
this Great Republic.