Letters

RONALD REAGAN: THE GREAT PEN PAL

"Thank you for publishing Reagan's letters. I hope everyone will recognize the intelligence and the wonderful morality of the man." LUCY M. CRONIN Key Largo, Fla.

As someone who has studied President Reagan since his first year in office, I am not surprised to see that his letters reveal what many of us have known all along [BOOK EXCERPT, Sept. 29]: Ronald Reagan was always his own man, a man of principle who believed in a better tomorrow. Much of the analysis and opinion about his presidency in the past 15 years has been clouded by partisan thinking. I am confident that in time the depth of Reagan's vision will be confirmed by historians. BRETT KOTTMANN Centerville, Ohio

The excerpts present the true personality of an American President who survived the cold war era. The words reveal Reagan's humanity and his sensitivity, not only to great events but also to his roles as father, husband and friend. The letters changed my view of Reagan, whom I had viewed mostly as a political leader. Deep inside the man is the soul of a person who understood life and learned much from it. RODERICK DARWIN P. SANTOS New York City

Reagan was the best president the U.S. ever had. His ability to manage people and allow them to work independently will be remembered as his strongest attribute. DAVE QUEEN Apex, N.C.

In his letters, Reagan comes across as a man desperately in need of approval. He had to assure his correspondents, and perhaps himself, that he was doing the right thing. Sadly, the letters show Reagan as a mediocrity, a man who skims the front page of the paper and studies the sports page and the comics. Reagan was born to preside over a Chamber of Commerce. He would have been splendid as the president of a Rotary Club. Unfortunately, he was President of the U.S., and it took us years to recover from his Administration. JEAN MARTIN Pittsburgh, Pa.

The Reagan letters illuminate so much more than the man and the influences that shaped his life. They give notice that letter writing is a dying art, succumbing to the modern-day requisite for immediacy, as reflected in the increasing use of e-mail and instant messaging. Our written communications have lost a quality of intimacy that makes the anticipation of replies to our letters agonizing and exquisite. Where will future historians and biographers find the primary source material to gain insight into their subjects? Modern technology has provided much that is indispensable, but it has also stripped our correspondence of a key essence and deprived our descendants of a rich legacy. DAVID LACHER New Rochelle, N.Y.

The excerpts from Reagan's letters are fascinating and inspiring. You presented them in an unbiased fashion so that we were free to make our own judgments of the man and his purpose. CHRIS MARLOWE Shreveport, La.

PAKISTAN'S BALANCING ACT

The questions about Pakistan's links to terrorism raised in your article "Is Pakistan a Friend or a Foe?" should be investigated [WORLD, Sept. 29]. I am bothered by the U.S.'s hesitancy to confront Pakistan regarding its reluctance to curb Muslim fanatics. It appears that the U.S. government has overestimated Pakistan's contribution in the fight against terrorism and should re-evaluate its ties to that nation. Pakistan must give up the idea that tolerating fanatics is necessary for domestic harmony. It may be expedient for Pakistan, but it could prove catastrophic for the U.S. The least Washington can do is make all aid to Pakistan strictly contingent on that country's progress toward the complete elimination of those who support terrorist acts. If Pakistan truly opposes terrorism, then it must respect America's concerns. VIJAY AMARSHI Chatsworth, Calif.

Your report gave an unfair perspective on Pakistan's role in helping the U.S. battle terrorism and did not give enough credit to how Pakistan, with its meager resources, has managed to help the U.S. Every country in the world has some radical religious elements. That the Pakistani people discuss their future goals in a civilized manner shows how that relatively young country is evolving into a nation. The U.S. and the rest of the world are deeply in debt to Pakistan for clamping down on the Taliban's resources, an act that was instrumental in the U.S.'s swift victory in Afghanistan. Pakistan has also suffered from terrorism, and its people understand what the U.S. has gone through since 9/11. It was out of principle and friendship that Pakistan gave the U.S. a helping hand. MUHAMMAD MANSOOR ALAM Cleveland, Ohio

SYMPATHY FOR THE FRENCH

Re Michael Elliott's commentary on the new burst of Francophobia in the U.S. [GLOBAL AGENDA, Sept. 29]: Elliott has obviously fallen prey to French propaganda. The notion that France didn't want to go to war because there would be an adverse reaction by Middle Eastern radicals is nonsense. France didn't want to go to war because it would mean loss of its influence (and economic benefits) in Iraq and possibly other countries in the region. France thinks about itself first, last and always. Although it did the right thing in generations long past, it is now nothing more than a self-centered embarrassment, not an ally of the U.S.'s. RICHARD VILKIN Henderson, Nev.

Elliott provided a voice of sanity on why the French behave as they do in pursuing their interests. It has been enormously frustrating to hear France bashers sum up Paris' behavior by saying, "They just hate us for being Americans." How arrogant to insist that no one else on this planet has the right to pursue and express ideas different from the prevailing neoconservative thinking in Washington. Americans are finally starting to confront the cold reality that the world is far more complex than the black-and-white picture often painted for us by the Bush Administration. This doesn't mean we should forgive the French for opposing us, but we should perhaps scale back the shrill anger that boils out of conservative think tanks when anyone else dares to have a different world view. CHRISTOPHER LANE Tucson, Ariz.

Americans will continue to bash the French as well as most other foreigners because Americans don't understand--and don't measure up to--most foreigners. Very few Americans are bilingual or multicultural, as many foreigners are. Foreigners are just better educated than Americans. One often criticizes things one does not comprehend. We Americans simply don't understand the French and never will until we become better educated, multilingual and multicultural--in other words, more sophisticated, like the French! ANN VAIDEN Florence, S.C.

Bush and French President Jacques Chirac will probably demolish what's left of Franco-American friendship. If the two leaders had even a dash of decency, they would admit their faults and work to solve the Iraq problem. The friendship between our two countries was one of our greatest treasures. The propaganda on each side of the Atlantic has been tremendous, and now Americans feel the French are their enemies, when in truth we are their friends. Come back to earth, Bush and Chirac! CHRISTIAN CHEVALIER Grenoble, France

It is a welcome development that the U.S. realizes it is not the only player on the international stage. The U.S. can't always ignore the U.N. Americans have to learn to respect different views and opposing opinions. This is the basis of a stable democracy. FRANCOIS TICHY Toulon, France

WES CLARK'S CANDIDACY

The Democrats have no choice but to select General Wesley Clark as their presidential candidate for 2004 [NATION, Sept. 29]. Not only would Clark appeal to independent voters, but he would also have the support of many military veterans who would normally lean to the Republican Party but have become disaffected with Bush Administration policies. As a retired four-star general with 34 years in the Army, Clark would also represent a symbolic payback for many veterans who have had their loyalty impugned for questioning the motives behind Bush's war in Iraq. DOUG MARTIN Middletown, Md.

What a difference a day makes. On Tuesday Wes Clark was a private citizen considering getting into the race for President. On Wednesday he was a formal candidate. By Thursday he was the Democratic front runner. Imagine how the other presidential contenders feel. Some of them have been out on the campaign trail for more than a year! DENNY FREIDENRICH Laguna Beach, Calif.

Your story on Clark quoted a colonel who worked for him at Fort Hood, Texas, and said Clark "tended to have a blind spot on the human dimension ... And it hurt morale: soldiers respected him, but they didn't love him." When and where is "love" required in military training? I respected but never loved my squad leader, platoon leader, battalion commander or post commander. Yet I guess there must have been a lot of other low-morale, "hurting" people out there. What a bunch of bull, Colonel. If you're looking for love, you're looking in all the wrong places. DAN SZARMACH Pittsburgh, Pa.

THE VOTING GAME

I was disappointed by Joe Klein's assessment that the Democratic presidential candidates have "become pretty boring" [IN THE ARENA, Sept. 29]. Klein reinforced the notion that political campaigns should entertain the public. Must candidates use reality-TV techniques to shock us out of complacency? When excitement becomes a criterion for choosing the President, voters will just pick the hottie of the moment and have a brief, exciting fling. Klein might have used his column to generate some energy, urging Americans to concentrate on a key issue, visit the candidates' websites or tune in to the debates, where I've seen an impressive roster of contenders--intelligent, hardworking, committed to a grueling process, quick-witted, and, yes, even entertaining. DEANNA R. KOREY Croton-on-Hudson, N.Y.

LOVE THOSE TIGERS!

Joel Stein wrote about the Detroit Tigers and their near-record-setting losing season [ESSAY, Sept. 29]. I don't know much about baseball, so you wouldn't think I'd care about the Tigers--but I do. Because to me, the team recalls summer nights at the old stadium and hot dogs and fireworks after the game. I don't care if they're the best team in the league or the worst. Statistics don't make baseball the national pastime; memories do. MOLLY SHANNON Southfield, Mich.