Cigarettes for Soviets

Your story, “U.S. Firms to Ship Soviets Billions of Cigarettes” (Sept. 14), prompted the following calculation: The 34 billion cigarettes that U.S. tobacco firms sell to the Soviet Union will cause the premature deaths of about 70,000 Russians. Perhaps President Bush will approach tobacco industry leaders and ask them to supply the Iraqi army with their wares as well.

ANNIE WAN, M.D.

Los Angeles