Letters to The Times : President’s Recovery

I sympathize with President Reagan and his family who are living and coping with his health problems. But I have long been weary with the systematic expenditure of energies by his aides in image-building. Their hospital-hype was obvious and ridiculous. But, as it is said, nothing is so bad but something good comes of it.

The front page told us, on the day before his release from the hospital, that the President, for the first time, had received no medication, and had “tackled an extended workload.” In fact, White House spokesman Larry Speakes said, “The President is totally back to normal.” The pattern was: “Visited by his doctors in the morning, spends nearly an hour with key aides and then relaxes in the afternoon. In the evening, he has watched Humphrey Bogart movies.”

The good we get from this hype? At last we know, perhaps for the first time, how the President really spends a normal work day.

MARY E. HARVEY

La Jolla

Once again the media lived up to their image and brought out the big artillery to show us the President leaving the hospital. Did you see him trotting down those stairs, radiant, dressed in jeans? He looked like a teen-ager coming back from a night on the town. Next thing you know, the media will let us catch a glimpse of the President in an aerobics class, trying the triple somersault. Get serious! Give the poor guy a break!

Grow up! Just because the President was in the movies does not mean he’s Mr. T or Superman.

Take your time to recover. It’s OK to feel rotten, Mr. President!

JOCELYNE LEBON

Los Angeles

Ronald Reagan has maintained a bright, cheerful disposition and displayed an incredible amount of courage in beating back a challenge from one of the most formidable opponents he has ever faced--cancer.

Recently, I had the rare occasion to actually agree with one of your editorials. Considering the staunch, left-wing tendencies of The Times’ editorial board, I was pleasantly surprised to read (July 16), “The President’s Cancer,” in which you commended Reagan for possessing an “inherent optimism toward life.”

Unfortunately, too many cancer victims confront the disease only with pessimism and grief. They would do well to follow Reagan’s example of meeting danger with such remarkable strength.

JAMES ROBERT BOZALIAN

Tarzana