T.V. diplomacy. (Letters).

It is difficult to believe that Mr. Peters and I heard the same Fox News interview with the former ambassador to Mauretania, Edward Peck ("Tilting at Windmills," October 2001). Instead of the mentioned contempt exhibited by David Asman, the interviewer, I felt that Mr. Peck was treated with admirable restraint, considering that his views could be considered highly inimical to the U.S., particularly in the aftermath of the atrocities at the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. Mr. Peck blamed the U.S. for perceived transgressions against Iraq. His claim that the U.S. constantly violates Iraqi territory by monitoring flights over that nation ignores the conditions of the agreement that ended the Persian Gulf conflict allowing such overflights.

Certainly Mr. Peck did not hold a prestigious ambassadorship. He served in Mauretania, not exactly at the hub of the Arab or Muslim world by its location in northwest Africa, and having a population of about two million. His other lower-level postings included Egypt from 1974 to 1977 and 1980 to 1982 and Iraq from 1977 to 1980, with his 1982 posting essentially closing out his career. His present position as a business consultant for foreign interests reflects a too-frequent career path for retired diplomats in which the interests of the nation to which they were posted become more important than those of the United States to the detriment of the foreign policy of our government.

NELSON MARANS
Silver Spring, Md.