LETTERS * CORRESPONDANCE
We will considerfor publication only letters submitted in duplicate, printed in letterquality type without proportional spacing and not exceeding 450 words. All the authors must sign a covering letter transferring copyright. Letters must not duplicate material being submitted elsewhere or already published. We routinely correspond only with authors of accepted letters. Rejected letters are destroyed. Accepted letters are subject to editing and abridgement.
tion in the Persian Gulf and that the CPPNW had turned into a pacifist association. For me the war began with the invasion of Kuwait, not simply with the coalition bombing. It could have been prevented or even abruptly terminated by Iraq's withdrawal from Kuwait. Even while acknowledging the selfish motive of Western Seules peuvent etre retenues pour publica- countries in wanting to preserve tions les lettres recues en double dont la the Middle East oil supply we longueur n'excede pas 450 mots. Elles doivent etre mdcanographiees en qualite cannot deny that Iraq was treating "correspondance" sans espacement propor- Kuwaitis brutally and destroying tionnel. Tous les auteurs doivent signer their country. Thus, there was at une lettre d'accompagnement portant ces- least some moral reason for armed sion du copyright. Les lettres ne doivent rien contenir qui ait ete presente ailleurs intervention, since economic pour publication ou dejaz paru. En prin- sanctions alone were not produccipe, la redaction correspond uniquement ing the desired effect. avec les auteurs des lettres retenues pour The conclusion that war is publication. Les lettres refusees sont denot a solution to disputes between truites. Les lettres retenues peuvent etre abregees ou faire l'objet de modifications nations or groups of nations is d'ordre redactionnel. tenable only when both sides in a dispute agree that this is true. I am disappointed with the uncritical ideology of the CPPNW and CPPNW turns pacifist shall not be renewing my membership. T he Newsbriefs item in the Mar. 1, 1991, issue of Paul C.S. Hoaken, MD CMAJ (144: 573) entitled Hotel Dieu Hospital "CPPNW [Canadian Physicians Kingston, Ont. for the Prevention of Nuclear War] seeks donations to counter dismal 1990 financial results" mentions that the CPPNW ur- Bridging the gulf gently needs new funds and new members. I suspect that when the I agree with much of Dr. Dougorganization focused its efforts on las Waugh's article (Can Med the prevention of nuclear war by Assoc J 1991; 144: 587), in joining those of similar persuasion which he draws comparisons bein communist countries it had no tween the recent Persian Gulf difficulty in attracting new mem- War and moments toward the end bers. What could be more reason- of World War II. I do not, however, agree with able than the message that in a nuclear war everybody loses? Waugh's introduction and concluHowever, earlier this year I sion. His friend Johnny, who was became aware that the organiza- in a trench with him in 1945, said tion was taking an official stand "25 years from now no one will against the coalition military ac- give a damn that we did this." He -
For prescribing information see page 1354
was wrong. I was born in 1948, and most of my family was wiped out during World War II. If Johnny and his buddies had not fought and liberated the concentration camp my mother worked in and freed the region where my father hid in a barn for 2 years, I would not have been born 3 years later. Forty-five years have passed, and I do give a damn about what Johnny did; so do a lot of people in countries all over the world. Will anyone care about what has just happened in the Gulf? That war lasted less than 2 months, so maybe it will be more easily forgotten. Had Hitler's bluff been called in 1933 or 1936 World War II might have lasted only 2 months. Saddam Hussein could have been as bad for the rest of the world as Hitler turned out to be, but the world called Saddam's bluff and, as far as I am concerned, probably prevented a bigger war in the future. We will never know what would have happened, but when our kids and our friends' kids put their lives on the line to protect our freedom we should not forget. Gerald I. Goldlist, MD 4841 Yonge St. North York, Ont.
[Dr. Waugh responds:]
No one could fail to feel a sympathetic resonance to Dr. Goldlist's family tragedy in World War II. My late wife risked her life daily in Amsterdam by working as an editorial assistant for the underground newspaper Het Patool. I couldn't be more grateful that she, like Goldlist's parents, managed somehow to survive the nastiest war of this century. CAN MED ASSOC J 1991; 144 (10)
1203
We will considerfor publication only letters submitted in duplicate, printed in letterquality type without proportional spacing and not exceeding 450 words. All the authors must sign a covering letter transferring copyright. Letters must not duplicate material being submitted elsewhere or already published. We routinely correspond only with authors of accepted letters. Rejected letters are destroyed. Accepted letters are subject to editing and abridgement.
tion in the Persian Gulf and that the CPPNW had turned into a pacifist association. For me the war began with the invasion of Kuwait, not simply with the coalition bombing. It could have been prevented or even abruptly terminated by Iraq's withdrawal from Kuwait. Even while acknowledging the selfish motive of Western Seules peuvent etre retenues pour publica- countries in wanting to preserve tions les lettres recues en double dont la the Middle East oil supply we longueur n'excede pas 450 mots. Elles doivent etre mdcanographiees en qualite cannot deny that Iraq was treating "correspondance" sans espacement propor- Kuwaitis brutally and destroying tionnel. Tous les auteurs doivent signer their country. Thus, there was at une lettre d'accompagnement portant ces- least some moral reason for armed sion du copyright. Les lettres ne doivent rien contenir qui ait ete presente ailleurs intervention, since economic pour publication ou dejaz paru. En prin- sanctions alone were not produccipe, la redaction correspond uniquement ing the desired effect. avec les auteurs des lettres retenues pour The conclusion that war is publication. Les lettres refusees sont denot a solution to disputes between truites. Les lettres retenues peuvent etre abregees ou faire l'objet de modifications nations or groups of nations is d'ordre redactionnel. tenable only when both sides in a dispute agree that this is true. I am disappointed with the uncritical ideology of the CPPNW and CPPNW turns pacifist shall not be renewing my membership. T he Newsbriefs item in the Mar. 1, 1991, issue of Paul C.S. Hoaken, MD CMAJ (144: 573) entitled Hotel Dieu Hospital "CPPNW [Canadian Physicians Kingston, Ont. for the Prevention of Nuclear War] seeks donations to counter dismal 1990 financial results" mentions that the CPPNW ur- Bridging the gulf gently needs new funds and new members. I suspect that when the I agree with much of Dr. Dougorganization focused its efforts on las Waugh's article (Can Med the prevention of nuclear war by Assoc J 1991; 144: 587), in joining those of similar persuasion which he draws comparisons bein communist countries it had no tween the recent Persian Gulf difficulty in attracting new mem- War and moments toward the end bers. What could be more reason- of World War II. I do not, however, agree with able than the message that in a nuclear war everybody loses? Waugh's introduction and concluHowever, earlier this year I sion. His friend Johnny, who was became aware that the organiza- in a trench with him in 1945, said tion was taking an official stand "25 years from now no one will against the coalition military ac- give a damn that we did this." He -
For prescribing information see page 1354
was wrong. I was born in 1948, and most of my family was wiped out during World War II. If Johnny and his buddies had not fought and liberated the concentration camp my mother worked in and freed the region where my father hid in a barn for 2 years, I would not have been born 3 years later. Forty-five years have passed, and I do give a damn about what Johnny did; so do a lot of people in countries all over the world. Will anyone care about what has just happened in the Gulf? That war lasted less than 2 months, so maybe it will be more easily forgotten. Had Hitler's bluff been called in 1933 or 1936 World War II might have lasted only 2 months. Saddam Hussein could have been as bad for the rest of the world as Hitler turned out to be, but the world called Saddam's bluff and, as far as I am concerned, probably prevented a bigger war in the future. We will never know what would have happened, but when our kids and our friends' kids put their lives on the line to protect our freedom we should not forget. Gerald I. Goldlist, MD 4841 Yonge St. North York, Ont.
[Dr. Waugh responds:]
No one could fail to feel a sympathetic resonance to Dr. Goldlist's family tragedy in World War II. My late wife risked her life daily in Amsterdam by working as an editorial assistant for the underground newspaper Het Patool. I couldn't be more grateful that she, like Goldlist's parents, managed somehow to survive the nastiest war of this century. CAN MED ASSOC J 1991; 144 (10)
1203
