American Notes CORRESPONDENCE

Since the Ayatullah Khomeini came to power a decade ago, Iran's stampmakers have made a habit of tweaking the American eagle's beak. One issue depicted the takeover of the U.S. embassy in Tehran, another the abortive 1980 attempt by an American rescue team to free the hostages. Iran has a new addition to its philatelic collection: a stamp illustrating July's shootdown of an Iranian airliner by a U.S. warship. One such stamp came in the mail this month to International Pressure Service, a maker of high-tech aerospace equipment based in Urbana, Ohio. Inappropriately enough, the envelope contained a letter from an Iranian engineering professor requesting price and delivery information on material used in building aircraft.

Meanwhile, the Rev. J.W. Canty, an Episcopal priest in New York City, has collected about 200 letters from U.S. citizens, including the Governor of Florida and six U.S. mayors, expressing sympathy for the families of the victims. Canty will travel to Tehran next month to deliver the correspondence.