Cold War Victors

Dennis said he conducted 100 interviews with “chiefs of state . . ., journalists, intellectuals and ordinary citizens . . . “ and determined that the United States did not win the Cold War. I wonder if he talked to more than one “citizen.”

I have talked to far more than 100 ordinary citizens during my trips (both before and after the Cold War) in Yugoslavia, former East Germany, Poland, Czechoslovakia and most other European countries, and I can assure you that they were almost unanimous in giving credit to the United States, and to Presidents Reagan and Bush, for the return of freedom to Eastern Europe. It proves again that speaking to journalists and intellectuals to learn about the political health of a country is like going to a doctor for a physical exam, and he only looks at your armpits!

JAMES T. HUMBERD, La Quinta