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Walter Isaacson persuasively presents the case for a Civilian Reserve Corps that would harness the skills of American engineers, doctors, judges and teachers to help in troubled areas [Sept. 22]. I am pleased to inform TIME's readers that such a group, the Civilian Response Corps, is already coming into existence. The Corps will consist of Active, Standby and Reserve components. The Active and Standby components, which will be prepared to deploy abroad rapidly, will draw on the expertise and experience of U.S. government employees from eight departments and agencies. We are in the final planning stages for the Reserve. For Americans willing to make a commitment to service for a limited period of time, their experience with the Civilian Response Corps could change the way they see the world and, perhaps more important, change the way many in the world see us. The next President will have in his first year in office a new instrument to manage one of the principal national-security challenges of the 21st century. Ambassador John E. Herbst, Coordinator for the Office of Reconstruction and Stabilization, U.S. State Department WASHINGTON

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