IT HAD TO BE HUGH

Brushes with Hef; House of Windsor under inspection; furries make some noise; a Holocaust survivor re-discovers her youth; Vanessa Redgrave sets the record straight; a word from the Hutchence camp; and more

We were the P.R. reps for Playboy in the 60s, and back then we were paid to keep stories like this one ["Hugh Hefner's Roaring 70s," by Nancy Jo Sales, March] out of the press. Hard to believe, but there was a time when seven in a bed would have been considered a P.R. nightmare. There was even a time—and this is really hard to believe—when bragging about being one of the seven would have been considered a very bad career move. So we kept secrets and kept a sense of humor about it all. Looking back, there was as much to laugh at as to cringe at. Then, as now, there were moments of sheer amazement: "That couldn't possibly have happened ' "Could. Did." A1 the days of gin and Bunnies.

BARBARA HARRISON AND TANIA GROSSINGER New York. New York

I WAS IN L.A. in the 70s, and I had occasion to visit the Mansion. I had met a photographer, had done test shots, and was accepted as a centerfold Playmate scheduled to appear in 1976. I frequented the Mansion on a regular basis and ended up in bed with Hefner on several occasions. Frankly, he missed his calling. He would have made a wonderful gynecologist-sex with him was basically sterile. What's amazing is that Hefner is a very intelligent man, and yet he does not recognize that he's an old man to whom no real, secure woman would give the time of day. These young girls use him only as a steppingstone. Oh, by the way, I never did the centerfold. I met a wonderful man, backed out of my contract with Playboy, kept my advance, and got married.

S. FRANZ Seattle, Washington

IN 1986, HEF assigned me to write Bunny Memories, a documentary film about the Playboy Clubs for the Playboy TV channel. In the course of my research, I discovered two remarkable facts about Hef. First, his Playboy Clubs were the first in America to integrate chorus lines, allowing black and white dancers to work together. Second, as a passionate defender of the First Amendment, he awarded financial prizes to law students for essays on the freedom of speech.

I included these facts in my script, but Hef took them out. He explained that he knew about his achievements. Therefore, it would be unseemly to boast about them. I have a feeling that he did not want his outstanding contributions as a liberal political activist to affect his image as the Playboy of the Western World.

MALVIN WALD Sherman Oaks, California

THE WINDSOR KNOT

IN AN ETHNICALLY DIVERSE, multi-faith "meritocracy," monarchy is surely an anachronism. The U.K. monarchy has been its own worst enemy, hopelessly misjudging the public mood and giving every impression of being dragged kicking and screaming into even the smallest reform.

That said, Christopher Hitchens's interesting article "Throne of Contention" [March] misses two key points.

First, however easy a target the monarchy is for reformers, there are far more pressing issues for the U.K.: a written constitution, a real Bill of Rights (although the adoption into U.K. law of the European Convention is a start), a freedomof-information act with teeth, continued regional devolution, reform of the upper house [of Parliament], and some check on the power of the prime minister.

Second, the monarchy, however imperfect, is probably the least-damaging option for the U.K. The Windsors may be a dysfunctional family, but compared with other elected heads of state with personal difficulties (Bill Clinton and the late Francois Mitterrand spring to mind), they fare no worse—and probably exert at least as stabilizing an influence on government and the nation. The U.K. monarchy as currently constituted certainly needs reform, but I, for one, would prefer it to an elected President Thatcher or President Blair any day.

NICK GROVES New York, New York

I SAY GIVE a crown to Christopher Hitchens. It's about time someone, anyone, demythologized the cult of the British monarchy. Apart from being born into the "right" family and shamelessly accepting money and jewels that she has done little to nothing to deserve, Queen Elizabeth II and her brood have proved themselves to be mere economic parasites and tabloid fodder. To willingly recognize themselves as figureheads is one thing; to refuse to step aside for the democratic aspirations of the citizens of Great Britain is entirely another.

TRACEY KINNEY Lincoln University, Pennsylvania

READING CHRISTOPHER HITCHENS'S prediction about the imminent fall of the House of Windsor gave me a sense of deja vu. Before the 1999 referendum in Australia (which, like Canada and New Zealand, is a constitutional monarchy that recognizes Elizabeth II) to decide the future of the crown, the fashionably republican chattering class predicted that the Windsors' days were over in Australia. Unfortunately for them, the majority of Australian citizens thought otherwise and cast their ballots to keep Elizabeth in her place. Why? Perhaps it was good old-fashioned common sense, which sees the monarchy, even with its antiquated trappings, as a bulwark against political excesses and media that are more concerned with ratings, circulation, and the self-promotion of talking heads.

JOHN-MICHAEL HOWSON West Hollywood, California

AS A KEEN READER of Christopher Hitchens, may I point out just one factual error in his "Throne of Contention"? Queen Elizabeth is Her Majesty, not Her Royal Highness. But, having verbally jousted on the pros and cons of the British monarchy with Christopher on Larry King Live, I am sure he would rather she be known merely as Mrs. Windsor.

RICHARD MINEARDS New York, New York

THE SOUND AND THE FURRIES

TWO (OPPOSABLE) THUMBS UP for George Gurley's "Pleasures of the Fur" [March]. His ability to "capture" the essence of the furries and plushies, portraying the movement's complete seriousness as well as the convention's surreal, hilarious moments, had me laughing so hard tears were streaming down my face. As Tony the Tiger would have said, "Gr-r-reat!" On a more serious note, I am now re-evaluating my relationship with my cats.

PLEASANT GEHMAN Hollywood, California

THE FURRIES ARTICLE had me reeling. Vanity Fair is always one step ahead, dredging up the jewels that modern culture has to offer. I read this article on Saturday morning. It's now Monday morning and my jaw has not yet moved back up into its rightful position.

CASEY MAHER New York, New York

GURLEY MISSED THE POINT Sure, there's sex. But there's sex at business conventions, too. Some of it is heterosexual sex. Some of it is homosexual. Big deal. And all of it is between fans of anthropomorphics (a word that I didn't even see used in his article). Sure, we've got some guys who actually want to be foxes and wolves and such. So what? I know guys who want to be Jedi Knights, Starfleet officers, and pro wrestlers. I reckon they've all got nearly the same chance (slim to none), so why be down on them for it?

I help run one of the conventions mentioned in Mr. Gurley's story, and have been in the fandom for six years. I'm a college graduate, professional, and heterosexual, and am greatly annoyed with him for taking the easy way out and focusing on the more "adult" practices of some of my fandom's members while not investigating further.

ROBIN HOOD ("LOXLEY") Jonesboro, Arkansas

BY USING "Fox Wolfie Galen" as an example of fur fans like myself, George Gurley has brought offense to a great many otherwise normal people. Most furs I know lean more to the side of Mike the Coyote. We believe that furry is just as harmless and sane as any other hobby. As Mike said, we are no worse than the rest of the world. We are just people, and should not be labeled by our hobbies or fetishes. Plushophilia and bestiality are two of the things that people automatically assume furries are into, and by publishing such rot, you are helping perpetuate this negative image.

REBEKAH STOHLDRIER ("K'SHARRA") Gulfport, Mississippi

YEAH, I'M A FURRY, and I commend George Gurley on a great article. It accurately described my life as a fuzzy, stripy tiger, and some of the things that I enjoy doing for a pastime. George was a heck of a guy to get to know, and he may not admit it, but he loved the "skritches" he got from his temporary furry friends. But, sheesh, did you have to include the plushie molester in the article? Ew! Good thing my boss didn't read that article, otherwise she'd have branded me a plushie-boinker.

ERIC E. STEVENS ("SNAP E. TIGER") Omaha, Nebraska

CHILDREN OF THE EXODUS

I READ WITH INTEREST "Magnificent Voyage" [by Maureen Orth, February]. How surprised I was to see myself and my brother in the group picture with the caption "MOTHER COURAGE: Ruth Gruber, center, in her war correspondent's uniform, escorts Jewish orphans to the United States on the SS Uruguay, May 1946." We are in the first row on the left. I never realized that Ruth Gruber accompanied us to the United States, as I was very young at the time. Upon our arrival, articles and pictures appeared in the New York Herald Tribune and the Daily News. Both my brother and I have built wonderful and successful lives here in the United States.

BERTHA STRAUSS Flushing, New York

DOT'S ALL. FOLKS

EVGENIA PERETZ'S "In the Dot-Com Doldrums" [March] was a depressingly accurate portrayal of the dot-com world today. I spent one incredible year working at dot-coms in Silicon Alley. Icecream Fridays, video games, and endless nights of drinking in bars and clubs were the least of the perks. Now I find myself jobless, with a set of skills that is obsolete and no real prospects for the future. I thought for a while that I might apply to become a New York City cop, but I'll probably get a job at Banana Republic. I hear they offer employees a 50 percent discount on the clothes.

SHARI ELIZABETH KNIGHT Brooklyn, New York

ACTS OF CONSCIENCE

I DON'T THINK I deserve to be called legendary, but you made me a great compliment by including me on your April cover, photographed by the brilliant Annie Leibovitz. But I wish that, in this issue devoted to film actors, directors, and writers, you had not singled me out for my politics. Since you did, you made some mistakes. I never supported the I.R.A. I always advocated a number of the political aims of the Irish and campaigned for their human rights, which include political rights. Likewise, I did and do advocate these rights for the Palestinians, the Armenians, Kurds, and all other persecuted peoples, including the Jewish people.

I actively oppose terrorism. So did the Workers Revolutionary Party, which I left in 1985. Since 1993, I have been a special representative for the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), which commits me to the protection of all children before my, or anyone else's, politics.

VANESSA REDGRAVE London, England

LEGION OF DISHONOR

AFTER READING your article on Domenica Guillaume Walter ["Crimes of the Art," by John Richardson, March], I couldn't help but feel a strange sense of admiration for the almost Machiavellian ability that the French authorities demonstrated in focusing on "the big picture" while investigating the surreal crime developing before their eyes.

With the Ministry of Justice dropping the charges against Domenica Walter, the case clearly reminds us that we inherit not only the language, customs, and food of our ancestors, but also the lessons they taught us. Although it certainly is a blow to one's belief in equal justice under the law for all—and, in fairness, the principles of the French Revolution—at the end of the day, getting its hands on Guillaume's fabulous art collection certainly did serve France's national interest.

G. L. BRUM Chicago, Illinois

PAULA, POSTMORTEM

I READ WITH INTEREST "The Perils of Paula" [by Steven Daly, February]. I would like to clear up the widely reported incident in the cathedral during [my brother] Michael Hutchence's funeral service, in which my mother allegedly told Paula Yates, "You killed my son." It is an absolute fabrication—Paula's fabrication. More than one writer has observed that Paula could be in a room with a dozen people, witnessing something going down, and come out with a rendition 180 degrees different from anyone else's. In this case, there were about 2,000 mourners at St. Andrew's Anglican Cathedral, plus several million watching it on TV. For most of the occasion, there was a camera on either my mother or Paula. After three years, no one can find a witness to the event that Mr. Daly writes of. It never happened.

I agree that there have been many ridiculous stories printed about Paula Yates, yet she habitually planted them herself or had others make the call for her. Paula was very clever; the exposure, good or bad, kept the public's interest. Two or three times a year, she would "grant" a cover interview to OK!, Red, or Hello! magazine— for which she was well paid. After she died, her friends carried on the tradition and sold their own stories. In all these years, Michael has fared rather badly. The story is always that he introduced her to drugs, and that she had no tolerance for drugs. As Mr. Daly writes, she clearly states in her autobiography that she jumped into the heroin habit at age 12 and continued at least through her teen years. It seems that it didn't sell very well, for her own friends must not have read it.

TINA HUTCHENCE Burbank, California

A GIRL AND HER DOG

I VERY MUCH ENJOYED the Lee Radziwill article and photos ["Snapshots from a Fairy Tale," by Amy Fine Collins, March]. However, I have one correction to mention regarding the caption for the Henry Clarke portrait: the wonderful creature in Radziwill's arms is clearly, and compellingly, a pug—not a French bulldog.

NICOLE MARKEY Portland, Oregon

CORRECTIONS: On page369 of the April issue the number of Oscar nominations John Williams has received was incorrect. He has been nominated 39 times. On page 257 of the March issue the photograph of Lee Radziwill was miscredited. The picture was taken by Peter Beard.

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