Making peace between nations is...
Illustration
Making peace between nations is God's priority, but mortals can do their bit for the cause. U.S. businessman Ross Perot, a one-time presidential candidate, went to work on the idea -- with surprising results. On one occasion, he decided to give a Christmas present to every American prisoner-of-war in Vietnam. Thousands of parcels were wrapped and packed. A fleet of Boeing 707s was chartered to deliver the gifts to Hanoi. But, the North Vietnamese government informed him no such donation could be made while the war was still raging. Perot asked why not. The answer was that any charity was impossible while American B-52s were devastating Vietnamese villages. Perot was undaunted. He promised he would hire an expert American construction company to rebuild anything the Americans had knocked down. The Vietnamese were baffled with the idea, and with Perot's persistence. They cut off the discussions. Christmas approached and no agreement had been reached. Not to be defeated, Perot took off in his chartered fleet and flew to the Soviet Union. There his aides posted the parcels, one at a time, at the Moscow Central post office. He knew the Soviets and the North Vietnamese were on good terms. The gifts were delivered intact.
