University of Virginia Library

The temptation is irresistible!
How seldom does one manage to
obtain cogent and reasoned criticism
on one's thoughts, especially
by such an august personage as
Tom Gardner! In Thursday's paper,
however, T.G. has graciously vouchsafed
to comment in advance, thus
saving me hours of agony awaiting
the Word:

"To the idiot, who I'm sure is
going to write a letter saying..."

I am therefore free to proceed in
confidence to say that T.G. has
shown his S.A. mentality very well
in the second paragraph of his
letter. "Personally I would not be
too upset if they did not catch the
person responsible [for arson in the
Charlottesville draft board last
September]..." How many others
are there in this University so
callous to the blatant risk to human
life that they could make such a
comment? Who else but Gardner
could feel that a fire which, in that
section of Charlottesville, might
well have killed a hundred people
had it not been detected almost
immediately is not too upsetting?

I think that it is quite apparent
why Mr. Gardner would be unwilling
to talk to any F.B.I. agent. If
these are his feelings then it might
not be necessary to "twist [his
statements] into unrecognizable
form for use on the witness
stand(!)." For those of the University
community not consumed with
such blind hatred or suffering from
such blatant paranoia, I should
suggest that there is little danger in
talking to either Mr. McCarthy or
to Mr. Washburg.