In the 1980s I wrote to every nation in the world for information, and I received all sorts of responses. Packages arrived from the Soviet Union and Iran, a crafts catalog from Botswana, a cassette tape of the invasion from Grenada, etc. I received 30+ books and enough material to fill a large file drawer. I've kept a bunch of stuff, but eventually donated most of it to a local Catholic school.
Not long ago I tried it again, but because of the reliance on the internet, only a very few wasted their time to respond. Pretty sad that we no longer have that joy of adventure.
Here's an example of one of the letters I received. Apparently dictator Muammar Gaddafi, who was killed by Libyan rebel forces in 2011, appreciated me.
I collected some quotes from some of the many letters received that most people don't have handy:
MALAYSIA
"The keynote of Malaysia's foreign policy is peace. Malaysia places great importance on fostering and maintaining regional co-operation in Southeast Asia; promoting Islamic solidarity; consolidating non-alignment; seeking friendly relations with as many countries as possible; and strengthening links with nations with whom Malaysia has common interests."
ZIMBABWE
"No one can fail to be moved or excited by the sight of a herd of elephants moving with ponderous grace to a waterhole, or rolling in mud-baths like children at play; a lion moving stealthily in pursuit of its quarry, herds of skittish wildebeests or neat zebra, or the see-saw gallop of giraffe."
MONGOLIA
"In the little more than 60 years since the People's Revolution Mongolia has made the transition from feudalism to socialism, bypassing capitalism, and is now building a socialist society. For the Mongolians this period, which is rather short in terms of history, has become an era of great revolutionary changes, an era in which the ideas of Marxism-Leninism have triumphed on their ancient land."
ICELAND
"Iceland is world famous for her medieval literature, especially the so-called Sagas of Icelanders, realistic and secular prose novels written in the vernacular in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries, constituting the sole original contribution of the Nordic countries to world literature."
ZAMBIA
"Remember that the most important thing to this nation is MAN. MAN you, MAN me and MAN the other fellow. Everything we say and do evolves around MAN. Without him there can be no Zambia, there can be no nation. That is why we believe in Humanism. That is why we say MAN is the centre of all activities."
U.S.S.R.
"Unlike mere lack of belief, atheism must be scientific, conscious and sensible. An atheist has the knowledge required to back up his materialist outlook. He begins to acquire this knowledge at school and it is developed and consolidated at higher educational institutions, which are free of religious dogmatism in our country. However, the atheist education of our youth in no way infringes upon the rights and freedoms of believers."
IRAN
"I fight, first, for the sake of my religion and secondly, for the sake of my country. I will fight to the last drop of my blood and I will not abandon Imam Khomeini. I am sure we will overthrow Saddam who is the puppet of western imperialism and eastern socialist imperialism.
"I hope that under the leadership of Imam Khomeini, we can destroy Israel and set free those 12,000 innocent Palestinian children who are now slaves of the Zionists...
"I ask those brothers who were helping the poor alongside me to continue their path after my death since this is what Islam wants.
"The best consolation for my family is to take revenge on all of the enemies of the martyrs of Islam, ever since it came into being. At the end, I pray for the good health and long life of the great leader of our Revolution: Imam Khomeini." ~ Parviz Baharmast
BRAZIL
"Brazilians can be proud of the fact that, more than most other peoples, they are free from racial discrimination. This is in large measure a legacy from the Portuguese, themselves a people of mixed blood who from the start intermarried with Indians and negroes."
FIJI
"Fiji is made of about 332 islands, which vary in size from 10,000 square kilometres to tiny islets a few metres in circumference. These spread over thousands of square kilometres of ocean in the heart of the South Pacific. Around one third of these islands are inhabited."
WEST GERMANY
"'Religion: It scarcely plays any role today in the land where the Reformation was born. American religion has simple messages to present to churches that are often packed. German churches are scholarly, liberal - and empty.' This is how an American journalist described the situation of the churches in Germany. A harsh judgment, and quite true."
THAILAND
"Thailand embraces in its bosom all people of Thai blood. Every inch of Thailand belongs to the Thais. It has long maintained its sovereignty because the Thais have always been united. The Thai people are peace-loving, but they are no cowards at war. They shall allow no one to rob them of their independence. Nor shall they suffer tyranny. All Thais are ready to give up every drop of blood for the nation's safety, freedom and progress."
WESTERN SAMOA
"You lie on a mat in a cool Samoan hut, and look out on the white sand under the high palms and a gentle sea, and the black line of the reef a mile out, and moonlight over everything -
"And then among it all are the loveliest people in the world, moving and dancing like gods and goddesses.
"It is sheer beauty, so pure it is difficult to breathe in it."
SOLOMON ISLANDS
"Although contact with the outside world over the past 100 years has brought many changes, the bulk of the people still cling tenaciously to their traditional way of life, their inherited culture and customs, their legends and beliefs."
SOUTH KOREA
"World Map -by Yoon Suk-joong
My homework is to draw a map of the world.
I drew and drew all last night, but
I haven't finished half of it yet.
Without your country or my country,
Without your nation or my nation,
If the world were just one big country,
How easy to make, my world map would be."
CZECHOSLOVAKIA
"Present-day Czechoslovakia is a peace-loving socialist country which is fully committed to its peaceful construction and which wants to live in peace, friendship and cooperation with all countries and nations of the world."
CHILE
"They say that, when God had created the earth, He had a few bits left over - morsels of desert, a few luxuriant forests, some enormous mountains, pieces of fertile valleys, lakes, ice, snow, a number of islands and beaches, a lot of sea and a little plain. He looked for an isolated spot and deposited the whole lot there, carefully and tenderly, like an artist putting the finishing touch to a picture. Thus, Chile came into being."
TAIWAN
"The Chinese people like to do things together; they are not afraid of crowds. Their sports reflect this. Many of them are just for individual well-being and do not involve the spirit of competition."
ISRAEL
"So long as still within our breast the Jewish heart beats true, so long as still towards the East, to Zion, looks the Jew, so long our hopes are not yet lost - two thousand years we cherished them - to live in freedom in the Land of Zion and Jerusalem."
MALAWI
"For men there are no dress restrictions, although certain of the more bizarre forms of dress favoured by the hippy, including wide bell-bottomed trousers, are frowned upon. Long hair which, defined, is hair falling in bulk to the collar, is, however, illegal. To avoid embarrassment on arrival in Malawi, male visitors are therefore urged to ensure that their hair conforms with Malawi's regulations."
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