PEN’s Resolution on Mexico

On behalf of the board of directors of PEN Center USA West, please allow me to respond to Wolin’s Opinion piece.

Contrary to Wolin’s assertions, she was afforded an ample and unfettered opportunity to present all of her grievances to the board at its December, 1991, meeting. Various other PEN members, including members of the Freedom-to-Write Committee, who helped to prepare the mission, also addressed the board and responded to her criticism. The board also considered written comments from members of the mission, including Wolin’s voluminous correspondence on the subject.

After giving full consideration to all of the comments and information presented by Wolin and other PEN members, the board commended the work of the mission and specifically invited Wolin to participate in the writing of a formal report on the mission. Wolin rejected our invitation, and chose instead to conduct a letter-writing campaign on a global scale.

The board considered Wolin’s complaints on a second occasion at its January meeting. Once again, the board decided to commend the work of the mission.

Wolin is the sole dissenting member of the mission to Mexico, which included representatives of PEN Center USA West, PEN Canadian Centre and the Canadian Committee to Protect Journalists. We listened to her grievances, at length and in detail, and decided that the appropriate response was to invite her to formally contribute a “minority report” to the final report of the mission. She declined to do so and PEN Center USA West can do nothing more to accommodate her.

JONATHAN KIRSCH

Executive Vice President

PEN Center USA West, Los Angeles