As a social studies teacher, I have relied on American Heritage for more than fifteen years to provide integrity and historical knowledge. Is it really necessary for the right wing of this country to use what was once an illustrious magazine for its purpose? I spent my money on a subscription to what I thought was a historical journal, not a Rush Limbaugh or Bob Dole hatchet job on a sitting President.

The JFK article was not prompted by any political agenda. Rather, we read an essay by Richard Reeves (judging by his syndicated column, a liberal Democrat and a Clinton supporter) drawn from the biography of Kennedy he had long been working on, found it provocative and interesting, and asked him to expand it into an article. We regret that the result should have struck Mr. Ellis as so hostile, but are happy to report that President Clinton evidently did not share his view. Instead, the President asked for galleys of the biography and read it during his vacation on Martha’s Vineyard. —The Editors