Letters

To the Editors:

[In the Sep/Oct 2012 issue, in the story ] "Red Terror Begins"... the woman walking behind Lenin in the photo is not his wife Nadezhda Krupskaya, but his youngest sister Maria Ulyanova.

Alina Liderman

To the Editors:

I have read your fine journal for many years, but this Vol. 55, No. 5, is the tops: the diaries in and about the War of 1812 provide fascinating detail and context and the article on Alex. Feklisov's back channel role in the Cuban Missile Crisis gives insight into the crucial role played by "out of the box" thinking in helping to resolve that truly scary impasse.

John Connor

To the Editors,

My wife and I take great pleasure from your magazine and look forward to every issue. We read them cover to cover and appreciate the diverse subjects you cover. We also greatly appreciate the fair and balanced editorial tone in all the articles. There is much that is good about today's Russia, but there is still much room for improvement.

As a native speaker and amateur linguist, I look forward to the Survival Russian page and always find something to take away from the entries. I, like others, am troubled by the editorializing that has crept into the feature lately. I find it quite inappropriate in that setting. I have listened to many interviews with Ksenia Sobchak and I find her highly intelligent and a person who is truly trying to make a change in Russia. The comments made recently about her were gratuitous.

Imagine my dismay, when the latest issue contained a swipe at Mitt Romney's offshore accounts. That has no place in a feature on language. And speaking of offshore accounts, they may be unfortunate, but they are used by anyone with substantial holdings, probably including Obama or at least the funds he invests in. Also, it's a little incongruous for a Russian writer to poke at Romney when the practice is so commonplace in Russia.

Please do not allow this to besmirch your fine magazine in the future. You have maintained a high editorial standard all these years. It would be a shame to spoil it.

Thank You,

Dimitri Gontscharow

Falls Church, VA