A Word Edgewise

Boston—On May 26 the New York Times ran an article by Bernard Gwertzman— the reporter who covers “senior State Department figures’”—which read: “Reagan Administration officials said today that Iran’s rout of Iraqi forces threatened the stability of Persian Gulf states and was creating a situation potentially more dangerous to Western interests than the unresolved Arab-Israeli conflict.

As my blood pressure rose and my pulse quickened, I held this to the mirror. Try it: substitute “Iraq’s rout of Iranian forces threatened . . .” for the existing formulation, and it makes just as much sense. When that happens, it is time for all concerned with high policy to take a vacation. Or revert to seventeenth century Realpolitik and adopt Senator Harry Truman’s 1941 attitude vis-à-vis the Nazi-Soviet war: we should help whoever is losing until they get on top and then shift partners.

JR

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John P. Roche

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Boston—On May 26 the New York Times ran an article by Bernard Gwertzman— the reporter who covers “senior State Department figures’”—which read: “Reagan Administration officials said today that Iran’s rout of Iraqi forces threatened the stability of Persian Gulf states and was creating a situation potentially more dangerous to Western interests than the unresolved Arab-Israeli conflict.

As my blood pressure rose and my pulse quickened, I held this to the mirror. Try it: substitute “Iraq’s rout of Iranian forces threatened . . .” for the existing formulation, and it makes just as much sense. When that happens, it is time for all concerned with high policy to take a vacation. Or revert to seventeenth century Realpolitik and adopt Senator Harry Truman’s 1941 attitude vis-à-vis the Nazi-Soviet war: we should help whoever is losing until they get on top and then shift partners.