Letters To The Editor

 Konnichiwa, Snoopy! 

In 1955, when I was 17, the Navy sent me to Naval Air Station Atsugi in Japan to serve as a photographer, where I shot everything from President Eisenhower’s visit to various crime scenes. I’ll never forget how my homesickness lifted when I came across Peanuts comic strips published in a Japanese paperback! I was surprised to learn that the book sold very well there, perhaps because the Japanese were interested in international events and different cultures. But the real reason was probably because Snoopy and his friends are so universally amusing. Your tribute to Peanuts in the Fall issue brought back a lot of memories.

— D. E. MacAllister 

Newport News, VA

Lessons Learned in Korea?

Robert Dallek’s article, “Wrong Turns in Korea” in the Fall 2010 issue, pointed out that “the Forgotten War” ended in an armistice, not a fully fledged peace treaty. Since then, ship sinkings, missile launches, presumed nuclear tests, balloons filled with propaganda messages, and assorted other aggressive acts make it abundantly clear that this last arena of the Cold War remains mortally dangerous.

Let’s hope that today’s statesmen and women read Dallek’s piece and manage to avoid the mistakes that led us into the Korean War. A “Korean War II” could go nuclear.

—Frank Goheen

Camas, WA

American Heritage ­in the Classroom

Steve Platte and I—advanced placement history teachers at Kirkwood High in Missouri—were so impressed with American Heritage’s 60th anniversary issue in Winter 2010 that we incorporated it into our summer reading list. During the year, we asked students to present the articles to their classmates. The resulting discussions were lively! 

We found that many of the articles went into depth on topics either unaddressed or given short shrift by the standard texts. Thanks for your help, American Heritage!

We thought you might enjoy seeing a photograph of our students hamming around to re-create our own version of Washington Crossing the Delaware.

—David Olderman

Kirkwood, MO

Editor’s Note: Thanks, Mr. Olderman. If we were back in high school, we’d want to take your class! We still have a stack of our 60th anniversary posters for sale. It’s the one where America’s top 10 notable figures join Washington for his mid-winter boat ride across the Delaware. If you’d like one, send us a check for $18, payable to American Heritage Publishing, at American Heritage Publishing, 416 Hungerford Drive, Suite 216, Rockville, MD, 20850-4127.