Submitted by Jeanne Milles, Dec 23, 2007 20:05

Amazing how few people know - or care - about Stalin's reign of terror, with its countless political prisons and gulags. So long ago, so far away it all seems even to some who do know, if only vaguely. But we need to acknowledge the horrors and to preserve the memory of so much human suffering. The victims - nearly a million in 1937-38 alone, included not only Russians, Ukrainians, other Slavs and citizens of various Soviet Republics, but many nationalities - including Japanese, Chinese, even Americans - and many who came voluntarily to the Soviet Union, seeking what did not turn out for them to be a brighter future. Adam Kirsch's remarkably thorough and thoughful review is worthy of Prof. Kuromiya's groundbreaking book. Unfortunately, apparently no intelligent comments about either the book or the review were offered by Sun readers. (To the Editor: But what's really surprising - and disappointing - is that a journal hoping to appeal to "people of reason" should publish as "comments" the mindless ramblings it received at 14:21 and 16:45 on Nov. 21, 2007. One could hope that The Sun would have more respect for its journalists - and for itself.)

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