18 NOV 79

AT SEA

OFF THE COAST OF OMAN

DEAR FOLKS,

As promised, please find enclosed a check for the Amex I charged the hotel back in Australia, so I will be sending along another check when we get paid again. It is entirely possible that there will be nothing to spend money on out here for some time, so I appreciate your kindness in helping me over the rough spots in a poor J.O.'s finances.

Partly in reaction to the current world situation, (of which more anon) I have elected to scrap my perfectly good high speed Seiko watch and buy an utterly ostentatious Rolex Oyster, a la James Bond. I bargained the thing down from five hundred (to $499.95, as I believe it is criminal to spend five hundred for a mere watch).

I wrote ((brother)) Spike and told him I would send him the Seiko as soon as I can pay for the Rolex. Aren't people strange?

Also, in line with foolishness, I got a nice note from Mrs. ex-Zorn about the property and her family. I told her if I can get the financing I will buy the two lots next to the McIntyres ((at the lake)) for $12,000. That is how things stand at the moment, as I can't walk over to the Bank from here, and won't be able to do so for an as-yet undefined period of time.

With any luck, by the time this reaches you the Iran question will be happily resolved. If there is no luck, we may be the tip of the sword to purge the infidels of their recent madness. I want to tread the fine line between being alarming and nonchalant. As things stand, we are motoring north to the waters off Iran, as was planned all along. We will continue to do that, to demonstrate to the ragheads that the seas remain free, even for Imperialists such as ourselves.

Naturally, military action is the least profitable course of action, as it is virtually

certain to get the hostages killed. We are simply too far from Tehran to achieve anything of note there, and the weapons from the coast inland are U.S. supplied (regardless of their present material condition) and quite formidable.

We are faced with an interesting conundrum. It appears that the student takeover of the Embassy was in part suggested by the PLO, and overt action against Iran will play into their hands. Already Khomeini's stock has risen amongst the common hoi paloi, as they

consider the current economic situation to be wholly of CIA manufacture. True or not, the scenario is calculated to unify the Iranian public against the foreign bogie-man.

It appears at this stage to be quite successful. The recent maneuver of liberating the blacks and women ((hostages)) is illustrative of the PLO strategy of playing the "Black Card" in America. They are also staying well out of the limelight.

It is very hard to gauge the sentiments back home, but it would appear from the press summaries that it is having an interesting effect on the Presidential follies. It may even

help the defense hardliners, of which I must number myself these days.

Anyhow, the upshot of all this is that we may wind up on station till the crisis boils over or goes away. It could mean war, too, and it is spooky to sit down and begin the laborious process of planning how to get high explosives from one place to another in an orderly and efficacious manner. C'est la viej.

It was things like this that I was concerned with when I trundled down to Pensacola, and

it is just our time in the barrel, to paraphrase the old Naval Air quote.

I couldn't ask for a better ship or airwing to be a part of, and thus I think things will work out for the best. And frankly, regardless of the personal consequences, it is about time

the good ole' Unites Snakes stood up on it's hind legs and told the worms of the world where things are really at. If we are to face the great energy crisis, let us get our heads

out of the sand and get on with it.

We have been acting like the great befuddled giant for the last six years, and if we

are to grab the bull by the tail and face the situation, let us do it now and get it over with. There are alternate energy sources. We can work more efficiently with what we still pro-

duce at home, and goddamn it, let's do it !

Veil, excitement aside, I have got to run. Things are going to be hectic, and I will try to update the situation as long as the mail continues to go out. In the meantime, don't worry,

and we will be back before you know it.

My love to all,

Vic