have given your readers a misleading impression of the way the pollution of US Military Bases in Bermuda occurred ( Mid-Ocean News , November 19).

The lead paragraph read as follows: "Bermuda was used as a dumping ground for highly toxic chemicals -- including mercury, nitrate and jet fuel by-products -- by departing American forces at the end of the Cold War, an American newspaper reported this week.'' That wording seems to suggest, first, that US Forces made a conscious decision to begin to dump pollutants here only when their bases were closed at the end of the Cold War; and second, that these toxic chemicals might have been brought into Bermuda from other places for the purpose of getting rid of them.

Neither suggestion is correct. The pollutants were by-products of the operation of the bases in Bermuda, and the quantities now present were built up during the years American troops operated the bases from their establishment during World War II until the early part of this decade -- some 50 years.

It is well known that the Bermuda Government believes the United States should clean up this accumulation of toxic material, but the Government does not believe that exaggerating what happened is either helpful to our case or a responsible way to behave. We have no reason to think that those who operated the bases imported material to be dumped here - doing that would have been a distinctly unfriendly thing to do, and would almost certainly have breached international law.

It is worth pointing out that the Boston Globe , the paper whose story you quote, did not itself reveal that there had been dumping of pollutants in Bermuda -- the Globe simply said that dumping took place on US bases, and mentioned in passing that there were bases in Bermuda.

Finally, your readers may also wish to know that the unnamed "Government insider'' you quoted in your story was Dr. Thomas Sleeter, the environmental engineer in the Ministry of the Environment, who does not believe he made any particular effort to avoid being quoted by name.

HON TERRY LISTER, JP, MP Minister of Development, Opportunity & Government Services Living in the past November 25, 1999 WHY do Bermuda's noisy politicians persist in living in the past when so many of us hope that our doubts about the future are wrong? Dr. Eva Hodgson has dealt in the past for at least 40 years which ensured that she never had a future.

Mr. Stuart Hayward has taken to writing about the political past from his narrow view but, then, he does not seem to have a future.

The Premier's St. George's running mate, Mr. Robinson, refuses to get over the past and brands himself as unforgiving, at best, and childish at worst.

Poor Bermuda.

WATCHING City of Hamilton `Utter triviality' November 24, 1999 UNFORTUNATELY for some of us who prefer to listen to the quality programming on 11.60 AM radio, this wavelength is occupied by Parliamentary proceedings whenever the House of Assembly is supposed to be "doing the People's business''.

Recently we were treated to no less than 35 minutes of Delay Robinson going on about his blasted hair. Furthermore, various Progressive Laboyur Party MPs spoke to the topic also -- their minds rooted to the topic.

I made the grave mistake of wasting my valuable vote on Mr. Robinson, but I don't give a damn about his hair, straight, curly, needing a "root job''(and by that I am not making a cultural, ethnic or racial statement; merely a colour-technical one) or completely shaven! What I do care about is the utter waste of my extremely hard earned tax dollar, on people who are too arrogant and self-centred to think even briefly about giving value for money.

I can think of many, many things that require the time and attention of our "law makers''. Indeed I have a personal interest in one piece of pending legislation, which will no doubt pend and pend and pend while this lot goes on about the pros and cons of hair fashion, or some other utter triviality or nonsense.

BLUE BLUES St. George's Intrusive approach November 22, 1999 I WAS interested to read the Editorial in today's Royal Gazette , particularly in light of a rather punctilious phone call which I received from the Government Statistics Department last week: Once the caller had indeed established that I was the owner of the enterprise: why - she inquired in an exacting tone - had I failed to fill out the economic survey form and return it as requested? My reply was simple and straightforward: I was basically too busy and I was not going to pay an employee for an extra two hours to fill out all the details requested. In any event I felt that the information about the sources of income, profit, exact breakdown of expenses etc., was indeed highly confidential.

This civil servant's civility began to wear thin, and she pushed harder inferring that perhaps we did not keep books. I feel right into the trap, replying that of course we did, and that furthermore, I completed them personally suing the latest computer software; to which her response was: "Then just give us a print-out!'' Now I ask you, in all fairness: why should any business, small or large be expected to comply with this Government's request for detailed financial information, when we the taxpayers of the country are not permitted access to exact information on travel expenses, and indeed intended use of new taxes (ours have been doubled) raised? In fact, the Gazette editor states that 1996 was the last time the daily was able to access statistics on Government travel expenses! Things will definitely have to change before I feel any obligation whatsoever to comply with intrusive questionnaires and pushy phone calls from the Statistics Department.

"Do you doubt our ability to keep the information confidential?'' she asked.

"Yes'' I replied; however upon reflection, after reading today's Editorial, I probably should have qualified my response.

FOR ACCOUNTABILITY AND TRANSPARENCY City of Hamilton More divisiveness November 25, 1999 SO, someone is deciding on Bermuda's first black Governor! More racial division, more outright unpleasantness, more controversy.

What is wrong with Bermuda's first Bermudian Governor? What is wrong with going forward together? Of the list suggested in your sister paper, only Sir James Astwood makes any sense. Sir John Swan was repudiated twice by his country and Arnold Francis is an old man of the past with a chaotic history of one party after another and marginal personal success.

This is not the time to place even greater uncertainty on the public and those who keep us rich.

OBSERVER Paget Comments `unfair' November 24, 1999 THE subject is the Tourism Department's Mr. Charles Webbe and his recent misadventure to Germany, or should we say, Frankfurt Airport to be precise: Presumably the stereotypical comments to our local press depicting the offending German immigration officer as someone akin to a stunted, time-shunted graduate of Hitler's youth camp was in no way a racist remark? Unless this was the officer's first day on the job, I suspect he had dealt with literally thousands of black travellers, many entering Germany through Frankfurt speaking perfect German, since Germany still has very strong cultural and aid-development links with Namibia -- a country of some 1.7 million people. The former South West Africa was a German colony for three decades and German is still an official language. There are several direct daily flights linking Windhoek and Frankfurt, not to mention all the direct links between Africa as well as the Caribbean at this most busy European airport.

Why should this hapless individual risk his prised job security by victimising a person "of darker skin hue''? Why should a representative of some tiny, insignificant little coral pinnacle be singled out for a tough deal, unless there was a suspected problem either with documentation or ticketing? Perhaps they were searching for someone on Interpols list who's visage happened to bear a close resemblance to Mr. Webbe's. Nonetheless, now he knows how many a traveller has been greeted at Bermuda International Airport! I know since I used to meet and chat with a fair number of German visitors.

Now had Mr. Webbe been in possession of a full British Passport, and not one of the Dependent Territories type -- no problem: "Walk on through, sir!'' GLOBETROTTER City of Hamilton Negativity is bad! November 20, 1999 I HAVE just finished reading "Straight Talking's'' letter entitled, "Boots were too big for her'' ( Mid-Ocean News , November 20).

I would like to ask "Straight Talking'' (I just love it when people do not have the gumption to use their real names) exactly what is your problem? Why are you being so "niggardly,'' and, exactly what are you implying by the contents of your letter? Are you implying that at the Remembrance Day Parade, because the Premier's shoe came off, the Premier was intoxicated? Or were you implying that the Premier is incapable of doing a proper job in running the country? Or, are you like so many other people who just have to have something, or somebody to pick on in order to pump up your own low self-esteem, to make yourselves feel good? There is a saying I hear all of the time and I quote, "If you are not part of the solution, therefore, you are part of the problem,'' and from where I sit, I see a lot of problems! By the way - for your information I have seen an advertisement on cable of a video you can purchase showing the slips, stumbles and tumbles, of none other than the Queen, presidents, and many, many, other notables. Does that prove they are intoxicated or incapable of performing their duties? Do your self a favour and try a little positive thinking. Negativity is bad for the soul! PAT FERGUSON City of Hamilton Seedy characters November 25, 1999 WHY does the Progressive Labour Party insist on associating itself and Bermuda with unsavoury politicians from islands which can teach Bermuda nothing.

Fist Sir Lynden Pindling was asked to open Alaska Hall even though he wrecked his own country's economy. Then there was the Premier's flight to Antigua for Vere Bird's funeral. Books have been written about what he and his family have done to Antigua.

More recently we have been told what to do by Jamaica's Prime Minister Mr.

P.J. Patterson. His country is on a downward spiral to chaos because of corruption, drugs and rampant crime.

Does no one except Sir John Swan understand that Bermuda's future rests with its food friend the US and, yes, the Britain and even Canada.

WATCHING Paget