Britain's Aid Policy to Bosnia

The front-page article "Britain Resists Pressure From US to Shift Foreign Policy Stance," Feb. 1, proves that the ghost of former Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain is alive and well in Britain. The reluctance of the British to aid Bosnia militarily, in the face of dire and obvious need, shows that a generation of Britons has forgotten its own plight when it begged for help against the Nazis. If Franklin Roosevelt had replied, "No, Americans might be endangered," or argued that people are crazy to think that direct military intervention would stop the fighting, where would Britain be today? The British should reflect on how they sound to the world, considering their own past needs.

The British may be forgiven for thinking only of themselves, but President Clinton should remind Prime Minister John Major of what he might be like, on his own, needing help - especially in the nuclear age. Amy Sharp, Bellevue, Wash. Let Puerto Rico decide

Regarding the Opinion page article "Puerto Rican Statehood: Make It So," Feb. 2: The author seems to be making the point that Puerto Rico is not yet a state because of the deaf ears of the United States Congress and implies that it is a result of some anti-Hispanic bias therein. The fact is that for statehood to be granted, a territory must first apply for such a change in status. Puerto Rico has never done this.

The issue has been debated there for 40 years, and time after time polls and election results have shown that a majority of Puerto Ricans have not decided that they want statehood. When they do, I believe Congress will act. Nothing would be worse than to drag Puerto Rico into the Union without an overwhelming commitment from its people. The US Congress has followed the correct path: to wait benignly until the people of Puerto Rico decide for themselves whether they want independence or statehood. Lenard E. Davis, Newport Beach, Calif.