A WRITER'S LIFE

Touched by a memoir; delighted with Carl Bernstein; a former military recruiter objects; cover judgments; hooray from "The Hammer"; and more

LETTERS

Thank you for publishing Marjorie Williams's brave, trenchant, and beautifully written cancer memoir, as adapted by her husband, Tim Noah ["A Matter of Life and Death," October],

Many of the glowing, richly deserved encomiums of Ms. Williams that I have read since her death have mentioned the barbs upon which she often impaled her subjects. As a firsttime novelist, I had the opposite experience. When my novel, Kabul, was published, in 1986, Ms. Williams gave it a long and generous review in The Washington Post.

In 2002, Kabul was reprinted in paperback. I had long enjoyed reading Ms. Williams's unique work in Vanity Fair, so I called her there to thank her again for the review. We had a chuckle that its last sentence had been "To speak in the terms of its own milieu, may it live long." It was a lighthearted conversation—and now I learn that by that time she had already been given a terminal diagnosis.

What a loss to her family and friends above all, but also to colleagues, and readers and writers everywhere. Her voice and talent are irreplaceable.

M. E. HIRSH Boston, Massachusetts

I WOULD LIKE TO SAY how moving and accurate I found Marjorie Williams's "A Matter of Life and Death." I am a cancer survivor (thus far), mother, writer, and human being, and her reflections on what to do with borrowed time were apt and meaningful. You must learn to demand dignity, embrace joy, and hunt for grace.

HEIDI TARR HENSON Peabody, Massachusetts

I AM not sure quite what it was that made me cry so hard and for so long after reading "A Matter of Life and Death." Perhaps it was the shock of turning the page and realizing that the woman whose prose was so alive had died. Perhaps it was the memory of a college friend whose life was claimed by the same disease 10 years ago. Or perhaps it's the shame of realizing how readily I had lapped up the superficial claptrap that is Paris Hilton 10 minutes before getting to this article. Maybe it's none of those

things or maybe it's all of them, but reading about this woman's struggle is unbelievably humbling. Thank you for sharing her talent, bravery, and complete honesty in the face of something I can't, and truthfully hope I never have to, comprehend.

SIAN CURRIE Erie, Pennsylvania

THE MEMOIR written by the late Marjorie Williams was a beautifully crafted story of how one grows to understand, accept, and plan for the inevitable when given a terminal diagnosis. She wrote with clarity and a sense of purpose, and I understood each step she took while on her final journey. I would hope that I could deal with such circumstances as gracefully.

GAIL D'AUTREMONT Lakeville, Minnesota

I READ Marjorie Williams's cancer memoir and wept. During one of her last remissions, I called her for help on the Bush book I was writing. After her Vanity Fair profile "Barbara's Backlash" was published, in August 1992, Marjorie became the first of the Stations of the Cross through which one had to proceed in order to uncover the reality behind the mythology of Mama Bush. Characteristically generous, Maijorie spent time on the phone with me, going over her recollections of writing the piece, her sources, names, anecdotes. Before we hung up, she offered to go into her files and call me back with further information. That was the last time we spoke. I did not have the heart to bother her again.

In The Family: The Real Story of the

Bush Dynasty, I paid tribute to Marjorie as the best writer of her generation: a champion as dazzling with her prose as Muhammad Ali was with his blows. She was all of that and more.

KITTY KELLEY Washington, D.C.

I WAS QUITE MOVED by Marjorie Williams's courageous memoir on facing terminal cancer, but I was appalled that the editors at Vanity Fair would choose to include this exquisite piece in an issue that would feature the vapid and curiously famous Paris Hilton on the cover. Ms. Williams, with her razor-sharp mind, was able to translate life's (and death's) greatest truths into heartbreaking and surprisingly witty prose. She deserved better. The saving grace is that Ms. Williams probably would have seen the irony and laughed. I, on the other hand, was horrified.

ELEANOR WELLS Baltimore, Maryland

"A MATTER OF LIFE AND DEATH" was the most convincing affirmation of life, and the most honest portrayal of untimely death, I have ever encountered.

I could write about my grandmother, grandfather, mother-in-law, and cousin, all of whom died of cancer. Or I could write about my mother, aunt, and three uncles, who are, to use Ms. Williams's words, "complete responder[s]." I could write about my abject terror of dying. Or, worse yet, the possible death of my wife, son, or daughter. Or I could heed what I think is, in part, Maijorie's message and revel in the fact that I have time—time to spend with my family, time to work, time to read, time to write, and, most significant, time to waste. Instead, tonight, I will just keep crying. For Marjorie. For her husband, her daughter, and her son. For my own wife and children. And for myself.

MATTHEW THOMPSON Los Angeles, California

TWO MEN AND A SECRET STORY

I WAS THRILLED when I read Carl Bernstein's article "Watergate's Last Chapter" [October]. His beautifully written account was a joy. Carl Bernstein and Bob Woodward are icons of American journalism. Watergate will always be a chapter in our history, and as it closes with Deep Throat's identity finally revealed, it was a highlight to hear from the men who exposed a dark chapter in American government. Thank you, Vanity Fair and Carl Bernstein, for publishing one of the best articles that I have read in a while.

JESSICA BRAUN Whitefish Bay, Wisconsin

THANK YOU for "Watergate's Last Chapter," and especially for that handsome fullcolor picture of Ben Bradlee! He remains the sexiest man alive.

JAN BAILEY Maui, Hawaii

CARL BERNSTEIN'S splendid article provides valuable insights into the media culture then and now, but it does contain a historical error that bears correcting: the House minority leader who, on August 7, 1974, joined Senators Barry Goldwater and Hugh Scott in delivering the news to President Nixon that the last of his Republican support on Capitol Hill had finally evaporated was not Bob Michel but John Rhodes.

GENE KRZYZYNSKI Tonawanda, New York

THE SOLDIER HUNT

IF THERE has ever been a one-sided story, it would have to be the one told by Michael Bronner in his article "The Recruiters' War" [September]. Please allow me to present another view of military recruiting and the magnificent men and women who serve our country in such a noble endeavor.

I was interviewed by Mr. Bronner for this article. I was the non-commissioned officer in charge of former Marine recruiter Jimmy Massey, who was one of Mr. Bronner's main sources of information.

While I have no basis with which to refute the experiences of the several recruiters mentioned in the story, the speculative conclusions Mr. Bronner leads his readers to believe are absolutely false and incorrect. Your magazine states that within our military-recruiting commands there is a "system of manipulation, fraud ... wrecking lives, families, and the military." This is not only absurd but totally baseless.

What Mr. Bronner's research produced, rather, was an indictment of the character of the former recruiters he interviewed, who admitted to fraudulent, deceptive recruiting practices. His few, unrepresentative sources chose to subscribe to the popular school of thought that mistakenly holds that the recruiters are not responsible for their own actions, that their moral failures are somehow the fault of a "system" that drove them to wrongdoing, and that everyone under similar pressures will respond in the same corrupt manner. This is a slap in the face to the majority of recruiters, who are hardworking, ethical patriots who would gladly miss their recruiting goals if the alternative were to compromise their character.

Mr. Bronner tells the story of Tim Queen, a young man from Andrews, North Carolina, who joined the Marines; in his case, there was no fraud or deception on anyone's part at any time from the recruiting command. Just like a large percentage of potential military recruits, he had a questionable physical condition that we, as recruiters, identified to the doctors at the Military Entrance Processing Station when he went for enlistment. A judgment call was made by the doctors there that he was qualified, and off he went to recruit training. Unfortunately, Tim's condition was more severe than determined by the doctors, and he was unable to complete the training. This incident, while disappointing for Tim, was not the fault of anyone in the recruiting command, and all procedures were properly followed.

No one disputes that military-recruiting duty is an extremely difficult and demanding job; it was the toughest three years of my life. But those who stray from the values drilled into them from day one of boot camp do so willingly and without the knowledge or approval of their respective chains of command. They are not the norm. In the Marine Corps, our core values of honor, courage, and commitment are not taken lightly; these guiding principles stand behind everything we do. I am proud to be a U.S. Marine. I am proud to have been a recruiter.

TIM DALHOUSE Master sergeant, U.S. Marine Corps Quantico, Virginia

MICHAEL BRONNER RESPONDS: That Master Sergeant Dalhouse is in the minority in concluding that Tim Queen's recruitment was appropriate (among others it offended are Tims family, the local sheriff and then school-board president, a fellow recruiter from the station Dalhouse commanded, the drill instructors at Parris Island, and a North Carolina congressman, who wrote an angry letter to the Pentagon) does not make the piece one-sided.

I talked at length with Dalhouse on three separate occasions, quoting him in the article and affording him opportunities to provide additional comment and correct any errors. He insisted, at the time, that he could not recall the details of Tim Queen's case, but nonetheless asserts here with conviction that everything was aboveboard.

Dalhouse's notion that the recruiters who

admit to personal misconduct and describe broader problems within the recruiting system are seeking to dodge responsibility for their actions is one I would turn on its head. Their willingness to speak of personal failings—and the earnest, eloquent, often pained way they did so—seemed to embody a deep desire for accountability.

The army and Marine Corps emphasized that recruiters cannot and should not be expected to make medical decisions or take the place of a doctor. When recruiters encourage enlistees to lie about existing medical conditions, they do just that, endangering the recruits and other soldiers around them.

I AM a 23-year-old woman on active duty with the U.S. Navy. I am currently stationed overseas, in a little country called Bahrain.

I picked up Vanity Fair and came across the article about recruiting in the Marines and the army. I just wanted to say thank you. It is about time that someone started telling "the other side." I should have been horrified while I was reading that article, but the truth is I found myself shaking my head in acknowledgment of the information pouring through the story. When I was done with the article, I handed it to the woman next to me with an intense "u have to read this" expression. While I continued on with other

reading, I heard her gasp, and I looked up while she, too, shook her head and said, "So, the truth has finally begun to come out."

DAWN HARDY Petty officer second class Manama, Bahrain

PARIS BLUES

AS A SUBSCRIBER, I am disgusted and disappointed in your coverage of the media phenomenon named Paris Hilton ["The Inescapable Paris," by Krista Smith, October], As your article points out, this is someone who has been elevated to the status of role model for today's youth solely by the media. It's truly surprising to see a publication with Vanity Fair's reputation contribute to the madness. She's a selfabsorbed, inarticulate young woman whose only skill is posing on the red carpet.

POSTSCRIPT

ast February, Michael ShnayerLson wrote of a rash of burglaries horrifying Beverly Hills. Bel Air, and other affluent Los Angeles neighborhoods ("Nightmare on Sunset"). Highly professional crews were said to be behind the crimes, and a woefully understaffed L.A. Police Department seemed helpless to do much about it.

Soon after Vanity Fair's story appeared, detectives from several L.A.P.D. divisions, along with FB I. agents and Beverly Hills police, formed a Hillside burglary task force. The focus, explains L.A.P.D. deputy chief Michel Moore, was "not only the people going over the walls, but where was all this jewelry going?" Over the next five months, the task force made 28 arrests. No one gang was responsible—"This isn't Ocean's 11, " says Moore— though the burglars did have networks, not just of housebreakers and safecrackers but of crooked jewelry dealers. More than $2 million worth of jewelry was recovered. This produced a new kind of exclusive event no one wanted to miss. Victims were invited to various police stations to stroll past tables of loot to identify their stolen valuables. The L.A.P.D. could have sold tickets. "I went to one viewing," says a source. "People were lined up around the block—you waited three hours to see the jewelry." In the end, 52 victims identified valuables. (It's unclear how many of them audibly ridiculed—or coveted—their neighbors' bling.)

Moore says that by the time the task force disbanded this past July it had reduced burglaries across L.A.'s West Side, where Beverly Hills and Bel Air are located, by 80 percent. Five affluent victims say they haven't heard "a peep" about burglaries among their friends—a dramatic turnabout from late last fall. One L.A.P.D. insider, however, offers a more jaundiced view: the task force, he says, made triplicate copies of all the crime reports and tried to find a pattern, but saw none. And where's the so-called Bel Air Burglar who's thought, by the L.A.P.D., to have robbed up to 40 homes on his own and made off with jewelry and cash worth millions? He seems to have relocated or retired: his signature trait of using a victim's own tools to open the household safe hasn't been noted of late, which is probably a good thing since a fair-

ly clear image of him—white, 40-ish, gray hair—was recorded on one households closed-circuit security camera. Then again, that really only narrows the suspects down to about 10 million people.

^ ix years ago, Seth MacFarlane was a 26-year-old boy wonder in O animated television on Fox whose show Family Guy had debuted to cheers—and some jeers—for its scabrous humor. As Michael Shnayerson reported in "The Kent School Mystery" (October 1999), MacFarlane had just one problem. A group called ProudSponsorsUSA had slammed the show as lewd in a letter-writing campaign, and sponsors, such as Sprint and Coca-Cola, were wavering. The group's sole member? Father Richardson W. Schell, MacFarlane's former prep-school headmaster. Apparently, Schell was incensed that MacFarlane had named his hapless TV family "the Griffins": the headmaster's longtime personal secretary and confidante was named Elaine Griffin. Schell seemed to feel that MacFarlane was dissing her.

Today, MacFarlane is the happy survivor of two near-death experiences. On 9/11, a hangover made him late for one of the four doomed flights that morning. A year later, Family Guy was canceled—thanks to dismal ratings, not Schell, who had quickly backed off his campaign. But then Fox Entertainment put the shows on DVD and sold 3.5 million copies. And in reruns on Time Warner's Cartoon Network, Family Guy soared. Last spring, Fox officially revived it, along with a new MacFarlane creation, American Dad. Ratings for the two shows are high, and MacFarlane is said to be earning $2.5 million a year as the overseer of both, with a stafT of 150. The last time MacFarlane went back to the Kent School, in Kent,

Connecticut, was for a reunion five years ago. "I saw him there," MacFarlane says of his old headmaster.

"and it was very awkward. There was a definite avoidance on both our parts, and that was probably best.

What would you say? 'Sorry I tried to get your show canceled.*... 'Heck, that's O.K.. don't worry about it.'"

Amazingly, Schell is still headmaster. How did he survive such a public embarrassment?

"I don't know," MacFarlane says. "How does Bush survive?"

A call to the headmaster's office was answered by Elaine GrifTin, who hung up as soon as she heard the words " Vanity Fair. "

I long for the days when the definition of "role model" was based on an individual's intelligence and contributions to society.

YVETTE MAYBEE Washington, D.C.

I LOOK FORWARD to your magazine each month, but when I saw the cover for October with Paris Hilton, I was disappointed. To me, everything she represents is so beneath your magazine. The statute of limitations should be up on her being of interest to anyone other than her parents. In protest, I am throwing the magazine away without reading it.

JO LEMMONS Mount Pleasant, South Carolina

I HAVE ADMIRED and enjoyed your magazine since the beginning, but having a porn star on your cover was very disturbing to me. I had hoped your wonderful magazine was above this.

Her story inside wasn't even interesting to read, and I savor all your special articles and the subjects you choose to expose or talk about. I do hope we have not come to this.

SHIRLEY JONES Encino, California

I WAS THRILLED that you chose to put Ms. Hilton on the cover of the October issue. Living in Los Angeles, I hear the name Paris numerous times throughout any given day—in elevators, at cocktail parties. Shouts of excitement are heard as she enters her favorite L.A. haunts, such as Koi. She is inescapable! I first learned of Ms. Hilton in your magazine so many years ago. I am now a typical 29-year-old entrepreneur who, I can admit, can't get enough of Paris. Bravo to Paris for branding herself to America!

DWIGHT COATES Beverly Hills, California

NICKY HILTON asked, "I'm 21 years old, I run two multi-million-dollar companies, I work my ass off. Like, what were you doing that was so fucking important at that age?" I would like to respond to that. When I was 21,1 was busy working toward my Ph.D. in organic chemistry at the University of Minnesota so that I could go on to do valuable research on a cure for breast cancer. My research was published in 1998 by the University of Minnesota. I was the first to synthesize the compound okadaic acid—shown to be a leading cause of breast cancer.

STEVEN F. SABES

Wayzata, Minnesota

VANITY FAIR describes itself as "a unique mix of image and intellect," claiming it "captures the people, places, and ideas that are defining modem culture," but you did not do yourselves or your readers a favor by placing Paris Hilton on the cover. She certainly has done nothing culturally defining, nor intellectually advancing. Please keep focusing on strong women who make a difference, and who have an actual story to tell.

NADINE PILOTE Montreal, Quebec

THANK YOU,Vanity Fair and Krista Smith, for the wonderful article on Paris Hilton! I'm a 56-year-old grandmother, and I think this young lady has it all—beauty, brains, and style. Ms. Hilton is hardly a porn star, as

anyone who has seen the video can attest. And it is not her fault that a low-life CONTINUED ON PAGE 138 CONTINUED FROM PAGE 128 ex-boyfriend seeks to enrich himself at her expense.

This Paris Hilton fan is waiting to see more pictures and articles about her in your magazine. She embodies the spirit of American enterprise and she has good business instinct.

ANGELE BISSONETTE Sun City, California

TOOTING HIS OWN "HAMMER"

THANKS for a great piece ["The Pro Football Snob's Dictionary, Vol. 2," by David Kamp and Peter Richmond, October], and, more specifically, it's nice to see that you haven't forgotten an innovator like myself. We're usually the first to be passed over. Everything you said about me was correct ... let the truth be known!

FRED "THE HAMMER" WILLIAMSON Palm Springs, California

RIGHT WAR, WRONG BOMBER

PERHAPS IN THE VANITIES "Intelligence Report: America at War" [by Richard Rushfield and Adam Leff, October], you should have listed the American B-29 longrange bomber as the showcase weapon used during World War II. The B-52 jetpowered long-range bomber, cited in your article, did not enter service until 1955.

JERRY RICHMOND Toronto, Ontario

VANITY FAIR VERSUS POLANSKI

AS A LONGTIME SUBSCRIBER, I delight in reading every last word in the magazine. When I read the October Editor's Letter ["Roman Holiday," by Graydon Carter], I realized I would have missed a few things about Roman Polanski had he not suedVanity Fair.

I didn't know just how young (13) the girl involved in his rape case was. Nor was I aware that he sodomized her. Certainly we were all aware that he fled the country like a coward, but I didn't realize that he resumed having sex on a "casual basis" a month after his wife's murder.

BARBARA PRESTON Escondido, California

GRAYDON CARTER'S editorial on the trial in London, whereVanity Fair was sued for libel by Roman Polanski, is fraught with the kind of journalism that got your magazine into court in the first place.

You were sued over a story that main-

tained that Polanski had stopped off in New York on the way to his wife's funeral, in Los Angeles. And that while he was in New York he had chatted up some Nordic blonde with a promise to "make another Sharon Tate out of you."

You maintain that you believe the gist of your story was true. Really? I know that you had already agreed that the alleged stop-off was a misstatement, because my husband, Victor Lownes, was originally scheduled to testify that, in fact, he had accompanied Polanski directly from London to Los Angeles immediately after learning of the tragedy. That fact alone upsets the "gist" of your story.

My husband was not present at the trial because his testimony was no longer required once you had conceded that that part of your story was wrong. However, Mr. Carter stated that he was not present because of illness. He is not ill and was not ill at any time this summer. You just make stuff up.

MARILYN COLE LOWNES New York, New York

EDITOR'S NOTE: We don V really make it all up. Vanity Fairwas told by three sources, including a member of Roman Polanski's legal team, that Victor Lownes did not attend the trial because of illness.

THE PLANE FACT

YOUR ARTICLE "The New Establishment 2005" [October] said that I had plans to limit airplane traffic at Friedman Memorial Airport, in Idaho. There's absolutely no truth to that claim.

HERBERT A. ALLEN New York, New York

BEAUTY'S ROYAL FAMILY

AS ONE OF ESTEE LAUDER'S "girls," I was both pleased and impressed with Bob Colacello's article "The House That Estee Built" [October], She was an incredible woman. Colacello's quote from Marvin Traub says much: "She revolutionized an industry and was without a doubt the world's greatest saleswoman." So does Richard Parson's: "I never met a woman with more force." Although she is gone, her "force" is still with us. I am proud to work for Estee Lauder, and the Lauder legacy continues as we Beauty Advisors worldwide follow her guiding principle: Bringing the Best to Everyone We Touch.

DEBRA B. SCHMID Marlton, New Jersey

CORRECTIONS: On page 379 of the September issue ("One Glove at a Time," by Jim Win-

dolf), we incorrectly stated that Dita Von Teese had appeared in the hard-core pornographic video Debauchery 8. She did not. While she has appeared in erotic videos, her representatives would like it to be known that those performances did not include graphic sex acts with men. On page 258 of the October issue ("The New Establishment 2005"), we incorrectly stated that Harvey and Bob Weinstein bought the film rights to Twins of Tribeca, by Rachel Pine. They bought the publishing rights. On page 334 of the October issue ("Wild About Harry's," by Vicky Ward), the late Lord

Derby was incorrectly identified. He is the uncle of the current earl, the 19th Earl of Derby.

Letters to the editor should be sent electronically with the writer's name, address, and daytime phone number to letters@vf.com. Letters to the editor will also be accepted via fax at 212-286-4324. All requests for back issues should be sent to subscriptions@vf.com. All other queries should be sent to vfmail@vf.com. The magazine reserves the right to edit submissions, which may be published or otherwise used in any medium. All submissions become the property of Vanity Fair.

MORE FROM THE V.F. MAILBAG

*\Xou have gone beyond fluff—you have I given us lint."

Incoming!

But now step aside, Irene Vukovich, of Los Angeles. Because here is Marjorie Dorcely-Henderson, of Miami: "Mr. Carter, what the hell were you thinking?"

O.K., a lot of you didn't like the Paris Hilton cover. (Gimme a break!, you said. Et tu, V.F..?) Was it the riding togs she wore? The riding togs she didn't wear? Possibly you just don't like Paris Hilton— "a selfish, self-centered, spoiled brat" was a relatively measured assessment. In any event, several readers have placed the magazine on probation: "If you ever put Paris Hilton on the cover again, I will cancel my subscription," threatens Angela Zehr, of Toronto. And Catherine Simon, of West Hills,

California, writes, "I'll give you a pass on this one, but if next month's cover is Britney Spears and her newborn. I'm outta here!!!" But the most common refrain was "First Jennifer Aniston, now Paris Hilton." To which we can only admit: Correct—that was in fact the precise sequence of those two covers.

"I ripped this cover off the magazine and am mailing it back to you," writes Jeanne Morrissey, of Madison, Connecticut. And she did. "Maxim called," Christina Laycock, of Birmingham, Alabama, claims. "They want their cover back." Could that be the one Jeanne Morrissey tore off and sent us? We'll see that it's returned to Maxim eventually, but right now we're a little busy. Giving people lint.

"I would have much preferred to see Ben Bradlee ["Watergate's Last Chapter," by Carl Bernstein, October] on the cover," says Yvonne Martin, of Lake For-

est, California. It's uncanny that you should mention Mr. Bradlee. We're not at liberty to go into details, but this much we can reveal: there were negotiations; they deteriorated; we think it had something to do with the riding togs.

L A idwestemers are up in arms over a Ivlline in Graydon Carter's account of the Roman Polanski litigation ["Roman Holiday," October]—his "Note to midwestem readers" about how Elaine's isn't hopping till 9 or 10 P.M. "This Kansas City, Missouri, resident has been to Elaine's, and a couple of those nights I actually arrived closer to 11!" says Steve Walker. And from Melissa Jones, somewhere in the Midwest: "Note to pompous East ' ' Coast magazine editors:

Midwesterners don't need you to translate for us." (Note to southern readers: Elaine's is a popular restaurant on Manhatjgjr:—tan's Upper East Side, as any midwesterner can tell you.)

£ inally, a nice letter

(addressed to Graydon). "Considering your legal entanglements, I'd like to share with you an obvious awareness. Your stance [in the Editor's Letter photo] is a near-perfect copy of the 'Hanged Man' of the Rider Waite Tarot," writes "Feng Shui Master, China Rose," from Silver Lake, California. "This is the card that portends a disastrous situation. ... Would you consider replacing this photographic image with a more heroic stance?" Graydon, who claims he had been assured that the pose he was striking was a near-perfect copy not of the "Hanged Man" but of the famed (and more winning) "Hangover Man," says sure—he's willing to try something new. As long as it doesn't involve riding togs.