Raisa Revealed

I am writing to respond to The Times’ fawning profile of Raisa Gorbachev. (“Resenting Raisa,” by William Eaton, Nov. 19). Resentment of Mrs. Gorbachev’s luxurious life style and fashionable wardrobe is not based on mere “envy,” but on the knowledge that this sybaritic life style is supported by the oppression of millions of ordinary Russians and Eastern Bloc peoples. The American media seem to be bending over backward to act as press agents for the latest incarnation of Stalin and his wife. If Mikhail Gorbachev were the leader of a pro-Western country, such as Haiti or the Philippines, Mrs. Gorbachev would be vilified as a “dragon lady” and not flattered for her “charm” and “intelligence.”

DANIEL W. ALDRIDGE III

Encino