JERRY'S GIRL

Letters

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Thanks to Joyce Maynard for her sweet and sad memoir of her brief time with the private J. D. Salinger ["Salinger in Love," September]. As a devoted reader of both authors, I look forward to Maynard's book At Home in the World, from which the V.F. piece was excerpted.

Earlier this year I bought a secondhand copy of Maynard's 1973 book, Looking Back, as a birthday gift for my 14-year-old daughter. We both loved it. It's a "60s classic" and a teen classic. It's not surprising that Salinger wrote to the young Joyce Maynard. We should be grateful that he did, and that she responded.

JOHN DOWLIN

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

HELL HATH NO FURY like a woman scorned. Mr. Salinger learned this, no doubt, when he read your September issue. And it serves him right for getting involved with a teenager. I am disappointed that the creator of Holden Caulfield could be so thoughtless. The Catcher in the Rye was an absolute sensation when it came out in 1951. After reading Maynard's memoir I decided that I must find a copy and reread it, only to see if I was just young and naive when I first read it, or if it really is a great book!

CHRISTINE ROUSE

San Francisco, California

DOES HONORING A HERMIT'S hermitage mean nothing to Maynard, this selfdescribed great observer? In no way does her memoir read as a helpful gift for young girls, as she suggests in her contributor's note. The memoir is simply a disturbing violation of a solitary man's privacy and a betrayal of the author's own youthful hope. Does Maynard really feel better now? Many readers will not.

NAOMI SHIHAB NYE

San Antonio, Texas

JOYCE MAYNARD'S EXCERPT reveals nothing about J. D. Salinger that one would not already suspect. He is human, he makes mistakes, and he wishes to be left alone, the last of which is apparently his greatest crime and the one for which he has paid most dearly over the years.

J. D. Salinger is one of the greatest writers of this century. Because of articles such as this one, he no longer publishes his work. The loss is truly ours. J. D. Salinger prefers, and it is his right, to live in privacy. Let him.

PAIGE A. CIERO

Atlanta, Georgia

DESPITE VANITY FAIR'S teasing headlines, I find it hard to conclude that Joyce Maynard views herself as J. D. Salinger's "Lolita" or that the point of her effort is the outing of "Salinger in Love." Having read the excerpt, I find myself intrigued more by the impact of this relationship upon Maynard's life than by its impact upon Salinger's. I'm looking forward to reading about the home she built for herself.

ANTHONY H. RISSER, PH.D.

New York, New York

Laura's Theme

LESLIE BENNETTS'S "Diagnosing Dr. Laura" [September] was a merciless article—but a well-deserved one. Laura Schlessinger's sadism and the humiliation she pours on her callers are hallmarks of her radio program.

People should be free to air their religious, political, and personal beliefs on the radio, but there is no excuse for using words such as "bimbo," "slut," and "eat dirt" while purportedly helping fellow human beings with their problems, Obviously there is a market for public, albeit anonymous, insults, or Dr. Laura's program wouldn't be as wildly popular as it is. You can be straight with your callers, Dr. Laura, but you don't have to reduce them to a pile of ashes.

FRANCES D. THURSTON, M.S.W.

Rye, New York

ELEVATING ARROGANCE and rudeness to stunning heights, Dr. Laura answers the need of many sad souls who seek reinforcement that they are bad or pitiful.

As a priest, I often encounter this type of spiritual masochism in people who are loath to hear how thoroughly God loves and forgives them. Instead, curiously, they take comfort in being brutally identified as rotten, reprehensible, even irredeemable. Dr. Laura, perhaps a would-be clergyperson herself, fills that bill handily for them.

REV. ANTHONY FEDELL, O.F.M.

New York, New York

DESPITE her harsh methods, Dr. Laura has taught nearly 20 million listeners to take responsibility for their actions, quit rationalizing their bad behavior, and live sensibly.

Morality in this country is a joke. Scandals of every sort assault us from all news outlets—the more salacious, the better. It is no wonder that Dr. Laura has become so popular. The American people crave moral leadership and are willing to be knocked upside the head to get it.

P. LEON

Redondo Beach, California

TO THOSE OF US who actually listen to Dr. Laura, her words contain wisdom, power, and a sense of direction. Whatever shortcomings Dr. Laura may have, present or past, her message is undimmed. She is straightforward, intuitive, quickminded, and focused on each caller. Her message is incredibly important in a world thoroughly messed up by the self-serving, emotional thinking of the 60s and 70s.

KATHRYN THRELKELD

Wilton, California

AS AN ORIGINAL PARTNER involved with The Dr. Laura Schlessinger Show since its launch as a nationally distributed program, I was interviewed by Ms. Bennetts for more than an hour. Our discussion covered every aspect of the program and my relationship with Dr. Laura. After reading the article, I can only assume that because I had nothing but good things to say about her my comments could not be included.

Specifically, in regard to relationship with Bill Ballance, she has always acknowledged the role he played in her success as a radio talk-show host. At the awards ceremony for American Women in Radio and Television (A.W.R.T.) held in Los Angeles last April, Bill Ballance's contribution to her career was publicly cited, and he was a guest at her table along with her husband, Lew, and son, Deryk.

I was disappointed to see that this article turned out to be a collection of personal attacks rather than a balanced look at a woman who has had an unprecedented impact on the radio industry.

DAVID LANDAU

President and C.E.O.

Multiverse Networks

New York, New York

THE JEWISH RELIGION may have changed substantially in the last few years, but no Orthodox Jewess that I know appears in public in a strapless gown, in her own hair, or wearing makeup and showy jewelry. The opening photograph of Dr. Laura speaks a thousand words. And none of them are found in either the Torah or the Talmud.

GITA HANDLEY

Bessemer, Alabama

Creative Writing

I WAS AMAZED to read how Stephen Glass was able to dupe seasoned editors of prominent magazines ["Shattered Glass," by Buzz Bissinger, September]. Did the Washington journalism community honestly believe it was possible for a fledgling reporter to have uncovered more sensational stories in two years than most journalists would dream of uncovering in a lifetime? In a media world gone crazy with its hunger for headlines, the young lad appears to have simply given it what it wanted—unadulterated sensationalism. It's ironic that in concocting his wild stories Stephen Glass created another almost unbelievable in itself.

REMBRANDT never needed a caption. Similarly, the genius of Bill Mauldin ["Rembrandt of the Foxhole,'' by Stephen E. Ambrose, September] was his ability to get it on paper, without the need for words. General Patton may not have liked him, but Mauldin spoke for all cavalrymen. I was Third Army from the middle of '44 through the end of the war. Thanks for the smiles you gave us. Bill Mauldin, in an otherwise cold, muddy, lousy time.

DON ROSE

San Antonio, Texas

JOCELYN CHRISTIE

Ottawa, Ontario

BISSINGER'S superb investigation into Glass's background and the warped push to excel from a young age should serve as a cautionary tale. Isn't our society producing enough of these successhungry hobgoblins? Sadder still, Glass will probably continue to profit from his charade.

MARC LEFKOWITZ

Cleveland Heights, Ohio

BUZZ BISSINGER PLACES BLAME not on Stephen Glass for ripping off many established magazines and their readers but on the system of upper-middle-class high-school education. Again we read about the children of the affluent and their struggle with perfection, and how it forces good kids from the right families in prosperous suburbs to commit fraud, cheat on exams, use drugs—you name it! Sure, affluent suburbs focus on pedigree, occupation, education, and country-club membership, but these stressful realities do not excuse the failures of the individual. Mr. Glass, when faced with the pressure of journalistic competition, chose fraud over professionalism, and in doing so has no one to blame but himself. Surely not the Highland Park social or educational systems.

MARC RODRIGUEZ

Evanston, Illinois

HAVING READ with equal disgust and amusement the saga of Stephen Glass, I can only conclude that Mr. Glass, with his talent for lying and subterfuge, has missed his true calling—politics!

JULIE WAHLSTEDT

Costa Mesa, California

Watching the Detective

JUDY BACHRACH'S SILLY and interminable article on Investigative Group International (I.G.I.) ["The President's Private Eye," September] calls into question whether she paid even scant attention to the minimum standards of journalistic honesty. Her story is replete with misstatements, distortions, and material omissions. What Bachrach offers readers is a textbook example of yellow journalism: an article whose outcome was preordained from a hostile perspective, based on research which ignored anything to the contrary.

Ms. Bachrach relies on the statements of former I.G.I. employees for her most inflammatory accusations against I.G.I., but never acknowledges that many of the former employees now work for I.G.I.'s direct competitors and have a financial stake in disparaging I.G.I.

In describing the work I.G.I. did for the Clinton legal-defense fund as "less than arduous," Bachrach never mentions that it was through I.G.I.'s dogged investigative work that the fund was able to identify and return almost $500,000 of ineligible contributions. Had she spoken with Michael Cardozo, the executive director of the fund, who oversaw I.G.I.'s work, she would have heard him describe its work for the fund as "Surgically precise and well done, delivering exactly what the client requested." Indeed, she disparages I.G.I.'s efforts, but failed to contact any of the clients she cites as examples of I.G.I.'s work. By the same token, she ignores the successes we achieved in uncovering rampant fraud within the United Way and in other notable cases.

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By focusing on innuendo and selfserving criticism from former employees turned competitors, Bachrach never includes positive comments she elicited from interviews with a prominent trial attorney in New York, a renowned Harvard Law School professor, and her own brother-in-law and his brother.

In attempting to smear the integrity of I.G.I.'s work and ethics, Bachrach consciously—and, I daresay, maliciously—never once mentions what we told her: that in more than 15 years of providing investigative support and risk-management consulting services of unmatched quality to corporations, law firms, charitable organizations, and others around the world, we have never been sued. Never.

While I could go on, I suggest that readers looking for a more balanced portrait of I.G.I. consult the August 2, 1998, edition of The New York Times Magazine, "The White House Shamus."

TERRY F. LENZNER

Washington, D.C.

JUDY BACHRACH REPLIES: Mr. Lenzner is perfectly correct when he suggests that a large number of my sources for the story on him were his former employees. Indeed, some of the most anguished, who are still in the investigative field, expressed deep concerns about its tarnished reputation and how this reflects on them, since I.G.I. is still listed on their resumes. More than 30 employees have fled Lenzner's firm in recent years. Mr. Lenzner must occasionally wonder why.

Many of them told me they were repulsed by the kinds of clients and cases Mr. Lenzner accepts, as well as by the kinds of investigative techniques (rummaging through garbage, secretly taping acquiring phone or credit records) they or their colleagues were sometimes asked to deploy.

As for I.G.I.'s labor on behalf of Clinton's legal-defense fund, investigating the worrisome sources of some of its money, this was satisfactory only to certain Democrats. Former chief Republican counsel Mike Madigan, who happens to be Lenzner's good friend, said, "Not one of Terry's top five cases." By this he means I.G.I. complied with its client's request not to interview Charlie Trie, who subsequently fled the country.

Finally, it is worth noting that in the course of my four-month investigation Mr. Lenzner gave me a list of people he wished me to interview. One claimed he hardly knew him, another refused comment. Two never phoned back. Two said they hadn't talked to him in more than a quarter of a century. One said he was too busy, another that he was a tennis partner. And of those who did talk, not all gave him glowing reviews.

JUDY BACHRACH'S DISCLOSURES about Terry Lenzner and his sleazy I.G.I. operation are absolutely frightening. And it isn't surprising that the Clinton administration is stooping so low as to use them for its dirty work.

Is this really happening in America? God help us.

HAZEL O. EDWARDS

Houston, Texas

Beauty and the Beast

SALLY BEDELL SMITH, in "Diana and the Press" [September], refers to the "men who hunted the increasingly willful and unhappy Princess." Indeed, it was men who felt so threatened by her that they exploited her and placed her upon a pedestal only to yank it out from under her and send her crashing down. Similarly, it was generally men who showed insensitivity at the time of her death; I heard her called everything from a "nobody" to a "tramp" by men in public and in private.

Here we are, a year later, and men are still trying to tarnish Diana the Memory, since Diana the Person is gone. The media folk who say she "brought it all onto herself" use an easy cop-out that frees them of any responsibility.

STACEY J. CARMODY

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Cry, the Divided Country

DAVID MARGOLICK'S splendid article on Billie Holiday's "Strange Fruit" [September] stirred my memories of a unique night in 1942. It was Billie's custom to relax after a Saturday-night Cafe Society performance and visit Arthur Herzog (who wrote the lyrics to her classic song "God Bless the Child") at his nearby 12th Street apartment. One night, given the late hour, his visitors had dwindled to a mere handful of neighbors. While Arthur fingered the notes to "God Bless the Child," Billie leaned against the Steinway, smiling at us, and sang that wondrous song.

But we were not prepared for the song that followed. Her face changed completely. Her body seemed to spring away from the piano. Her eyes were closed tightly. We were virtually paralyzed as she pulled us into physical contact with every word and gesture of "Strange Fruit." We sat stunned, silent, not daring to look at one another. In the midst of World War II, we were fighting to restore freedom. Was Billie reminding us that there was unfinished business which America should not overlook? In a long life, it remains my most cherished musical memory.

HARRY C. LEVIN

New York, New York

THANK YOU FOR David Margolick's insightful article "Strange Fruit." Billie Holiday's rendition of Lewis Allan's lyrics remains one of the most powerful and influential works of art for generations of African-American artists, activists, and intellectuals. I was especially glad to see that Mr. Margolick did not repeat old statements suggesting Holiday didn't know what the song meant. Throughout her career, Holiday was consistent and unrelenting in her critique of American racism. This was the case even during the McCarthy era, when other black leaders and artists chose silence.

FARAH JASMINE GRIFFIN

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Mol Belle

YOUR COVER of the nubile Miss Mol ["The Hazing of Gretchen Mol," by Ned Zeman, September] is sure to sell lots of magazines, but I'm trying to rear some children here! It's pretty difficult to convince my 14-year-old son that he should be looking for inner beauty in a girl when you so blatantly titillate your readers.

PATTI STEPHENSON

Gainesville, Georgia

WHAT A GORGEOUS photograph of Gretchen Mol on the cover of your September issue. No doubt you will receive many letters decrying the fact that you chose such a stimulating image of the lovely Ms. Mol. However, we feel it effectively points up her poise and freshness. We are envious of Ned Zeman's job.

D. KUNITZ AND G. HINDS

New York, New York

Red Flag

IN REGARD TO the photograph of Merv Griffin in the "Letters" section of the August issue ["Too Mervelous for Words"], why does Griffin fly the Bermuda flag and not the American flag from the fantail of his boat? After all, some of us fought for our country. Griffin just made his billion here.

FRANCIS J. SPANN JR.

Long Beach, North Carolina

MERV GRIFFIN REPLIES: The American flag flies proudly on top of my yacht. In fact, there are many flags that adorn my vessel, among them a Griffin flag a Bermuda flag and a Royal Bermuda Yacht Club flag. Rest assured, the Stars 'n' Stripes is well represented.

CORRECTION: Due to an error, in October's "The New Establishment 1998: The Top 50 Leaders of the Information Age," Arnold Rifkin, president of the William Morris Agency, was omitted from a section of the feature titled "Moguls in the Bull Pen."

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