Web Letters: POW/MIAs & John McCain

I wish that some donor to The Nation would have made Franklin's articles available free of charge for comparison. And when Schanberg appeared on Democracy Now! to talk about his article in The Nation, Amy Goodman could have done us a solid by having both gentlemen on her program to discuss their alternative views.

As it is, we're left to read Franklin's October 15 letter to the editor and Schanberg's response. Both are exhibits in name-calling. Franklin describes Schanberg's article as a "recycled and thoroughly discredited right-wing fantasy about Vietnam holding US POWs after the war" and decries "Schanberg's disgraceful role in promulgating [the POW myth] for decades."

Schanberg, in turn, calls Franklin a "desperate" "ideologue" who has in the past made "fact-starved claims" and now write a "pompous letter" which is a "foolish way" to deal with their disagreements. He ends, "It's obvious that the best way to get to the bottom of the POW story is to press our government to release all the POW files that have been suppressed for thirty-five years."

That statement seems valid, despite another insult he hurls at the end to the effect that his critics have not campaigned for such because they are afraid to find out what's in the records.

I'd welcome any comments from Dr. Franklin, with regard to what he has done in this regard.

Beth Wellington

The Writing Corner<, VA