Stone’s Nixon Is Sympathetic

In Rick Vanderknyff’s article, (“Personality Split,” Jan. 10), he states that the Nixon Library’s view of President Nixon and Oliver Stone’s version “are both sympathetic to their subject.” I agree.

I have talked to many people in Orange County who refuse to see the movie and yet criticize it based on what they’ve heard. Although parts of the film were, without a doubt, speculative, I was amazed at how far Oliver Stone went to present Nixon as a real person with both faults and attributes.

I was particularly moved by a scene that found Nixon feeling extremely upset over the Kent State killings. He turned to John Mitchell, who was trying to justify the incident, and said, “They were throwing rocks, John--just rocks.”

Scenes like that would not have been included by a filmmaker who wanted to make Nixon out to be nothing but a monster.

DON CARTWRIGHT

Fullerton

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In response to some of the comments made by Oliver Stone and Co., I would like someone to show me just one presidential library that does not emphasize the positive things about that particular president.

BETTY BARR

Orange