To the Editor:
Well written article by Katie Silberman ("Levin analyzes Middle East psyches in Oslo Accords," Oct. 11). It was written in a clear and concise format.
I am a former U.S. Marine who served in Vietnam, 1966-1967. I was a machine gunner and experienced firsthand the overwhelming fear and exhaustion of combat. "Being under siege" created a very real feeling that if we stopped killing and opened a real dialogue on peace, the "war" (i.e., the North Vietnamese Government) would cease sending troops into South Vietnam! Wrong! The North Vietnamese Government was not going to curtail their mission to overthrow the Government of South Vietnam even if the U.S. forces were a million strong! The factions of South Vietnamese people and government fell under the same "delusions of a people under siege."
In summation, Dr. Levin's "The Oslo Syndrome: Delusions of a People Under Siege" underscores the critical mass between "staying the course" and risking being surely subjugated to a miserable existence! That is the reality!
