Kind disagreement

Although he is junior to me in years, I yield to no one in my admiration for the superior wisdom of Charles Peters in every field of human endeavor--with several notable exceptions. One is his strange fixation on reviving the military draft, despite the obvious pleasure that such a move would bring to the gang of adventurers now populating the White House and the Pentagon.

Another strange fixation is his belief in overworking young professionals despite the obvious losses in productivity and even human lives (remember Libby Zion?) caused by such behavior.

I must admit that, in my work life, I frequently put in 60-hour workweeks. But I never forced my subordinates to do the same--probably because I remembered a remark attributed to that noblest of men, Gen. George C. Marshall. When an apple-polishing young officer told Marshall that he'd worked long into the night to complete an assigned project, Marshall replied, "Any officer who cannot complete an assignment within normal working hours should have that failure noted in his fitness report."

William M. Burke

San Francisco, Calif.

Charles Peters replies:

I am grateful for the kind words on our disagreement. I believe that if the sons and daughters of the influential served in the military, their parents would not support military adventurers in Washington. On overworking young professionals, I have always opposed the medical slave drive. As for the rest, my views have become more benign. I hope Mr. Burke read my note on Marjorie Williams in our March issue.

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