TO OUR READERS

By BRUCE HALLETT/PRESIDENT

When Michael Duffy was hired as a TIME correspondent in 1985, he couldn't believe his good fortune. "Are you sure you're not making a big mistake?" he asked the deputy chief of correspondents. An odd question to put to one's new boss, but then Duffy has never been a stickler for convention. Working first in TIME's Washington bureau as Pentagon correspondent, then as a political reporter covering both the Bush and Clinton presidencies, Duffy developed a reputation as a maverick with a knack for finding the unturned stone in even the most thoroughly trodden beat--most notably in 1986, when he broke the details of a top-secret U.S. attack on Libya 36 hours before the strike occurred. He's also adept at turning a story's thesis on its head, if that's what the facts demand. "Duffy's strength is that he has perfect radar," says senior editor Priscilla Painton. "He can instinctively sense where the story is going next and what the questions 10 days from now will be."

That radar, we're pleased to announce, will be guiding our entire Washington operation. Taking charge of the largest and most influential post in TIME's worldwide news-gathering service, Duffy has been appointed chief of TIME's Washington bureau.

Duffy inherits the job from his friend and colleague Dan Goodgame, who, after serving nine years in Washington (four as bureau chief), is moving to New York City for a stint as assistant managing editor of MONEY magazine. During Goodgame's tenure, he and Duffy were nearly inseparable. They collaborated on a book--Marching in Place: The Status Quo Presidency of George Bush (Simon & Schuster; 1992). Duffy learned from Goodgame how to play poker; Goodgame named his third son Michael. "Duffy is a hell of a lot of fun--always working the phones, yelling, laughing and scooping up great tips," says Goodgame. "He has a rare combination of Midwestern roots and Washington savvy."

An Ohio native and an Oberlin College graduate, Duffy views his appointment with characteristic modesty. "Thanks to Goodgame, TIME's Washington bureau is the finest orchestra in the capital," he says. "Getting the chance to be its conductor is an honor and a treat." Managing editor Walter Isaacson is not so modest about the promotion. "Duffy is a true great," he says. "He's a great reporter, a great writer, a great worker, a great thinker and a great human being." Hiring him may be the best mistake we ever made.