/LMAR=0/XLINE=3/FONT#0=BASL30/FONT#1=BASI30/FONT#2=BASB30/FONT#3=STA200/FONT#4=NGB25
␈↓ ↓H␈↓␈↓βS␈↓∧ Artificial Intelligence Laboratory, STANFORD UNIVERSITY, Stanford, California 94305

␈↓ ↓H␈↓∧Telephone 415 497-4430␈↓ 
¬March 23, 1977 




␈↓ ↓H␈↓Editor ␈↓↓Stanford Daily␈↓:

␈↓ ↓H␈↓To the Editor of the Daily:

␈↓ ↓H␈↓        To␈α∞put␈α∂the␈α∞matter␈α∂as␈α∞bluntly␈α∂and␈α∞abrasively␈α∂as␈α∞possible,␈α∂it␈α∞now␈α∂appears␈α∞that␈α∂Nixon␈α∞was
␈↓ ↓H␈↓right␈α⊗about␈α⊗Cambodia␈α⊗and␈α⊗Indo-China␈α↔generally,␈α⊗and␈α⊗the␈α⊗academic␈α⊗world␈α↔was␈α⊗mistaken.
␈↓ ↓H␈↓According␈α
to␈α∞recent␈α
articles␈α
in␈α∞the␈α
␈↓↓New␈α∞York␈α
Review␈α
of␈α∞Books␈↓,␈α
generally␈α
regarded␈α∞as␈α
on␈α∞the␈α
left
␈↓ ↓H␈↓politically␈α∂and␈α∂one␈α∂of␈α∂the␈α∂most␈α∂active␈α∂opponents␈α∂of␈α∂the␈α∂Vietnam␈α∂war,␈α∂since␈α∂the␈α∂"liberation"␈α∂of
␈↓ ↓H␈↓Cambodia,␈α↔the␈α↔communists␈α↔have␈α↔killed␈α↔more␈α⊗than␈α↔2,000,000␈α↔people.␈α↔ This␈α↔is␈α↔the␈α⊗largest
␈↓ ↓H␈↓proportional␈α∞genocide␈α∞in␈α
any␈α∞country␈α∞in␈α
known␈α∞history,␈α∞and␈α
it␈α∞is␈α∞twice␈α
as␈α∞many␈α∞people␈α∞as␈α
were
␈↓ ↓H␈↓killed␈α⊂on␈α⊂both␈α⊂sides␈α⊂and␈α⊂among␈α⊂civilians␈α⊂in␈α⊂the␈α⊂Vietnam␈α⊂war.␈α⊂ According␈α⊂to␈α⊂the␈α⊃articles,␈α⊂the
␈↓ ↓H␈↓communists␈α∪killed␈α∩everyone␈α∪whose␈α∩social␈α∪background␈α∩might␈α∪make␈α∩him␈α∪a␈α∪potential␈α∩opponent
␈↓ ↓H␈↓including␈α⊂children.␈α⊃ They␈α⊂further␈α⊂report␈α⊃that␈α⊂there␈α⊃was␈α⊂evidence␈α⊂that␈α⊃the␈α⊂Khmer␈α⊃Rouge␈α⊂was
␈↓ ↓H␈↓murderously␈α∞inclined␈α∞as␈α∞early␈α∞as␈α∞1971,␈α∞but␈α∞the␈α∞Western␈α∞press␈α∞chose␈α∞to␈α∞ignore␈α∞it,␈α∞e.g.␈α∞explaining
␈↓ ↓H␈↓away␈αwhat␈αlater␈αturned␈αout␈αto␈αbe␈αthe␈αclubbing␈αto␈αdeath␈αof␈α17␈αnewsmen␈αas␈αan␈αaccident␈αof␈αguerrilla
␈↓ ↓H␈↓warfare.

␈↓ ↓H␈↓        Vietnam␈α
hasn't␈α
engaged␈α
in␈α
mass␈α
slaughter␈α∞but␈α
admits␈α
to␈α
more␈α
political␈α
prisoners␈α∞in␈α
peace
␈↓ ↓H␈↓time than the Thieu regime was ever claimed to have by its most fervent opponents.

␈↓ ↓H␈↓        Perhaps␈α∞it␈α∂can␈α∞still␈α∞be␈α∂maintained␈α∞that␈α∞it␈α∂was␈α∞in␈α∞America's␈α∂interest␈α∞to␈α∞abandon␈α∂the␈α∞anti-
␈↓ ↓H␈↓communist␈α∩Indochinese,␈α∩but␈α∩it␈α∩can␈α∩no␈α∩longer␈α∩be␈α⊃claimed␈α∩that␈α∩it␈α∩was␈α∩in␈α∩the␈α∩interests␈α∩of␈α⊃the
␈↓ ↓H␈↓Indochinese.␈α I␈αnow␈αwish␈αto␈α
apologize␈αfor␈αmy␈αsmall␈αpart␈α
in␈αthe␈αprotests␈αagainst␈αthe␈α
Vietnam␈αwar
␈↓ ↓H␈↓generally and Nixon's Cambodian invasion in particular; I wish I had supported it.


␈↓ ↓H␈↓Sincerely,



␈↓ ↓H␈↓John McCarthy
␈↓ ↓H␈↓Director
␈↓ ↓H␈↓Professor of Computer Science