LETTERS

DIANA, PRINCESS OF WALES, 1961-1997

"In Diana we saw our dreams, fantasies and, finally, our worst nightmares come true. We grieve for ourselves as well as for her." SUSAN BIRD Glendale, Calif.

Yes, she was the people's princess, because the people forged her life and, possibly, destroyed it [PRINCESS DIANA, 1961-1997, Sept. 8]. In death, she is free from obligations and vanities. She does not belong to the people any longer. Diana's history is essentially one of human frailty and strength. We should not try to distort its meaning. Our compassion for her should be extended to those whose lives have been deeply affected, even ruined, by the princess's life and death. M.G. DEDE Kingston-on-Thames, England

Diana was addicted to the camera. She was happy when she was in the limelight and unhappy when she was not. She had no self-esteem, and she used the camera as therapy to make herself feel better. Her husband and her children were not her ultimate concern. ELIZABETH DONNELLY Miami Beach

While you paid fitting tribute to Diana, your coverage of her companion Dodi Fayed was appalling. You have surely been unsympathetic to the Fayed family. Contrary to the image you portrayed, Dodi was well thought of and spoken of as a charming and generous person. His family's only apparent crime is that it is not British. PAULA HAFNER Heald Green, England

Self-worth based on beauty is short-lived, as Diana surely realized. She had begun to build a life based on telling hard truths. Our daughters struggle daily with the myth of beauty as they develop their own identities. Last spring, at the first National Girls Conference, I heard adolescent girls talk about themselves, beauty and the media. The girls, like Diana, knew how illusory image was, and yet they acknowledged the power it has. They don't want to chase beauty, but every stimulus--advertising, movies, television, magazines--tells them to do it. Princess Diana will forever remain 36. She is frozen in time as a gorgeous ideal. But it would be a shame if this picture is all we retain of her. This was a woman who challenged royalty and who unhesitatingly touched AIDS patients. Let's not forget that though her beauty was compelling, the chase for it caused her a very painful life and, undoubtedly, an early end. MARIE C. WILSON, President Ms. Foundation for Women New York City

In Diana, we saw reflections of what we all hold most dear but fail to see in ourselves: goodness, honesty, generosity, humor, charity, humility and love. This princess broke the mold at every level of society and made an effort to show that even in this modern hustling, bustling world, we can all be human and make a difference. By example and by her death, she led us to a new understanding. There is still time to do good for others. MICHAEL R. PONIATOWSKI Daytona Beach, Fla.

The loss of a beloved symbol has exposed us to an extraordinary level of pain, perhaps because all of us have a common need to be loved for who we really are and a desire to be missed when we are gone. If we can all look inside ourselves and examine the meaning of grief, both present and past, our energies can become more available to help the rejected among us, for whom Diana was the patron saint. VICTORIA TOOKER Peoria, Ill.

The reaction of the press and the public to Princess Diana, before and after her death, is symptomatic of the depths to which our sensibilities have sunk. We put great stock in what people appear to be or project themselves to be, rather than in what they are, even when the two images, the sham and the real, are obviously in conflict. The case of the Princess of Wales may open our eyes. But the fault did not lie with Diana. She was just a normal, healthy young woman, with human desires and all too human failings. The fault lies with our society, which put her on a pedestal that was utterly undeserved. BHUPINDER SINGH Muscat, Oman

We have lost not just a cultural icon but also a devoted humanitarian. The tragedy of Diana's death has united the people of the world like no other, if only for a fleeting and somber moment. CAROLINE ZARLENGO SPOSTO Memphis, Tenn.

QUESTIONS OF RESPONSIBILITY

We can blame the paparazzi. We can blame the drunk driver. We can blame the press for adding to her pain by publishing pictures. We can blame ourselves for reading the tabloids. What we cannot do is get back Diana. YUKO ITATSU Tokyo

The defining factor here was the bad judgment of a driver who had been drinking and the equally poor judgment of those who let him take the wheel and drive them to their death, an action over which they had a choice. NORMAN L. BENDER Woodbridge, Conn.

The tragic deaths occurred because of the absence of pillar guardrails along the road in the underpass and the failure to fasten seat belts. RICHARD LAINE San Carlos, Calif.

In car chases shown in movies, an auto often catapults into the air as it goes over a hill, when, for a moment, inertia overcomes gravity. Is it possible the tragic accident in Paris involved the same principle? If the speeding Mercedes became airborne, a slight turn of the steering wheel, which should have been sufficient to negotiate a curve on the roadway, would have been ineffective. Perhaps the accident had more to do with physics than with alcohol. MERRICK LOCKWOOD Dhaka

If Prince Charles had honored his commitment to his wife and turned away from the favors of another woman, Diana might still be alive today. ANN S. MACMILLAN Stuart, Fla.

Reckless and irresponsible publications that paid for photographs of the princess bear responsibility for Diana's death. By feeding the sharks, they create the frenzy. ELIZABETH DEWEESE TUCKER South Bend, Ind.

Sure, the press was out of control, abominable, with paparazzi's cameras relentlessly invading the private life of Princess Diana. But who are we to blame them when, after all, we are only too happy to pick up tabloids and magazines that print Di stories and photos? In the end, our own love of Diana killed her. MAYUKO MAY OBUCHI Tokyo

Please do not tell us we all have blood on our hands. Most of us were never that interested in knowing in whose arms Diana sought comfort or how much she paid for her dresses. Our family members and our friends are so much more interesting. Many of them do an awful lot of good deeds too. GENY HEYWOOD Spencerville, Ont.

We need to put an end to the morbid fascination with public figures. Otherwise we cannot call ourselves civilized. PHILIP DUNN Hamilton, Ont.

THE MARCH OF THE MONARCHY

The Windsors seem single-mindedly determined to carry on a role that makes a true difference to very few people. Indeed, we shouldn't expect too much from the royal family, and this highlights why Princess Diana was so special. I hope her two sons have their mother's independent and altruistic nature. ROBERT MACRAY San Francisco

Neither Wills nor Harry can become the kind of King that Diana knew the country needed until they take their mother's place in their subjects' hearts as the People's Princes. The princess is dead. Long live William and Harry! LIZ CRAWFORD Houston

PRIVACY RIGHTS

The most pressing need in the world today is a guaranteed right of privacy. Diana needed that. It should be made part of the U.S. Constitution and others around the globe. TOM EDWARDS Houston

If this horrible accident causes the media to realize they have a duty to take meaningful action and respect people's privacy, it would be a tribute to Diana. It would demonstrate a concern and an essential shift in attitude, so that such a tragedy will not happen again. MIKE MARGOLIS London

TEXTILE TRADE WITH CHINA

The story "A New Man in Donorgate?" [NATION, Sept. 8], about a January negotiating round between U.S. and Chinese representatives on a textile trade agreement, strangely omitted a few facts. The individual you focused on, Stephen Lau, whom you characterized as a Hong Kong businessman, openly presented himself as an adviser to the Chinese. While he did join me and other delegation members in a ride to a meeting with Chinese government officials, ostensibly as an escort to the Chinese Ministry of Trade, Lau did not engage in substantive discussions with anyone in the U.S. delegation about the ongoing U.S.-China textile negotiations nor did he attend the China Trade Ministry meeting. As you noted, I had no knowledge of Lau's business interests or of alleged campaign contributions by his associates. You overlooked the fact that the textile agreement achieved meaningful market access for American manufacturers in China for the first time and included other terms beneficial to American textile and apparel manufacturers and workers. RITA HAYES, Chief Textile Negotiator Office of the U.S. Trade Representative Washington

A MODEST PROPOSAL FOR SENATORS

So Trent Lott and some bipartisan Senators want to redesign the Senate chamber [NOTEBOOK, Sept. 8]. This would be the biggest government money pit since the construction of the Rayburn Building. The idea of putting up something that is "tasteful, historically appropriate and...television-friendly" will give way to things that are gold plated and unnecessary. The cost will easily hit $20 million because when Senators are doing for themselves, they just can't stop. I would much rather the public revolt and rip out the seats and air conditioning from both chambers. Uncomfortable legislators just might get the people's business done more quickly. GARY A. BEATTY Fort Wayne, Ind.

DOW CHEMICAL RESPONDS

Your article on the silicone-breast-implant trial in Louisiana [LAW, Sept. 1] raised a number of important issues about the role of science in the courtroom, but the use of the word Dow in the article was misleading. Dow Chemical and Dow Corning are separate corporate entities, and Dow Chemical is not the "parent company" of Dow Corning. Rather, Dow Chemical and Corning Inc. are each 50% shareholders in Dow Corning, which formerly made breast implants. Dow Chemical is not now and never has been in the breast-implant business. It is also important to note that the Louisiana trial is only the third in which Dow Chemical has been involved, and in one of the previous two trials you referred to, the judge overturned the jury verdict, thus freeing Dow Chemical from any liability. Furthermore, Dow Chemical has been dismissed from about 4,000 implant cases in New York, Michigan and California because judges found no basis for suing it for the product produced by another company. JOHN MUSSER, Director of Public Affairs Dow Chemical Co. Midland, Mich

MEASURES FOR TIES THAT BIND

Having practiced family law (divorce law) for 38 years, I offer a simple solution to the high rate of marital breakup examined in your story on the debate over whether it should be harder to get a divorce [SOCIETY, Aug. 18]. To wit: females should not marry before age 30; males should not marry before age 40. CONNOLLY OYLER Santa Monica, Calif.