Nixon defended
Sir: In his article `Mr. Nixon's Crime Bill' (24 October), Louis Claiborne makes inappropriately snide remarks about precautions taken to protect the life of Presi- dent Nixon. I find these remarks about the President of my country offensive and puerile. Mr Claiborne seems to imply that President Nixon is somehow responsible for the escalating violence in America which has led in recent years to the assassinations of a President, a Senator, and other prominent figures. Yet President Nixon's major theme in this week's mid- term elections is that measures must be taken to stem the tide of•
violence arising
from Nlitica tremists. It is not President Nixon's fault that there are left-wing l maniacs at at large in America dynamiting public buildings and plotting violent revolutions. If Mr Claiborne were President he would surely not scoff at prudent security precautions for himself? Indeed, President Nixon has risked his safety many times .in the recent campaigning by mingling enthu- siastically with crowds and shaking hands where he could easily have been shot by a fanatic. And though Mr Claiborne, in his re- marks on the new crime Rill, neglects to notice the fact, the crime that is being attacked by the legislation is largely organised gangster syndicates and politically motivated revolutionary violence (as. for instance, by the provision for making it a federal crime to assail a Congressman). It is a uni- versally recognised. fact that ordinary street crime outside Washington pc cannot be dealt with on a significant scale by federal agencies. Yet Mr Claiborne, in his eagerness to discredit the new crime Bill and President Nixon (for what reasons, I wonder), has written an offensive and ignorant article highlighted by snide asides on President Nixon's necessary security precautions. Need I remind you of the gas camster thrown into the House of Commons recently or the kidnapped British diplomat in Canada? At its own peril Britain can ignore precautions which America has learnt the hard way. Robert Temple 131a Gloucester Ave., London NWI
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