Letters.

-- No one read Rich Lowry's interview with William F. Buckley Jr. (N(NR, May 6) with greater interest than I.

Harry Elmlark, a consummate salesman, was the owner of a small syndicate, and in 1962 he landed the Buckley column with a guarantee, I now learn, of $75 per week against sales. At that time I was editor of North American Newspaper Alliance. One of our columnists was Ralph McGill, the renowned liberal editor of the Atlanta Constitution. We were paying him $200 per week, an excellent fee at the time. In March 1962 this "southern gentleman" told us he had sent in his last column, switching without notice to another syndicate. So, having $200 in our weekly budget to spend, I sent a letter to Mr. Buckley offering him that to replace McGill.

I was surprised that I didn't get a response or perhaps a counter-offer. When I asked Mr. Buckley about this at a gathering a few years ago, he said that he was in Switzerland at the time and that Harry Elmlark was very persuasive.

When I learned of the Elmlark deal, in which I thought we were outbid, I was bitter and consumed with an Elmer Fuddian rage for revenge! I waited until I thought the time was ripe and then sired a baby who grew up to become Jonah Goldberg, today a contributing editor to NR and National Review Online's webmeister and columnist. To this day I feel that if Mr. Buckley had signed with NANA, I could have spared myself the expense of Jonah -- schooling, clothes, Christmas gifts, Hanukkah gelt. And we could have made WFB famous!

Sid Goldberg

New York, N.Y.

-- A reaction to WFB's "Exit Gun Control" column (May 20): I am a foformer gun owner, and have lost a friend or two over the years by attempting to persuade them of the common sense of gun control as opposed to, well, gun uncontrol, which is what we have now.

The German government recently acted to increase its gun control after the massacre in Erfurt. Yet we experience slaughter after slaughter, which leads only to debates and more debates.

I'm in favor of a well-regulated militia and of the right of the people to keep and bear arms. But isn't it possible to have these rights without sacrificing the lives of thousands of Americans?

Owen McNamara

Herkimer, N.Y.

-- Jay Nordlinger's article on Jimmy Carter ("There He Goes AgAgain," May 20) omitted a few key facts: Jimmy Carter and his Carter Center have nearly eliminated Guinea worm disease, distributed 35 million doses of Mectizan(r) for river blindness, helped many farmers double or triple annual harvests, sought reconciliation among numerous warring parties, and obtained the safe return of 300 abducted children. He has worked tirelessly in behalf of the poorest, sickest, and most forgotten people in the world.

Alan M. Cody

Waban, Mass.

-- Solving the conflict-of-interest problem epitomized by Arthur AnAndersen's fiduciary relationship with Enron ("Enron's Bastard Children," by Ramesh Ponnuru, May 6) requires removing the incentive for auditors to "go easy" on clients, something easily accomplished by balance-sheet-fraud insurance. Insurance companies would become responsible for hiring auditors, giving rise to a new level of transparency among policyholders. And a company stuck paying high premiums or deciding against coverage in the first place would immediately raise red flags for investors.

Michael B. Barkey, President

Ctr. for the Study of Compassionate Conservatism

Grand Rapids, Mich.