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Former history professor Gingrich misstates some facts about the 20th century. The Great Depression did not give rise to Nazism or Japanese militarism. It was World War I and its aftermath that set the stage for both Mussolini's march on Rome and Hitler's attempted putsch in Munich. By the time of the Depression, in 1929, the fascists had been in power for years, and the Nazis had been growing in strength for most of the decade. Furthermore, Gingrich's description of the Smoot-Hawley Tariff seems to imply it was part of F.D.R.'s New Deal. Smoot and Hawley were Republicans, and the act that bears their names was passed in 1930, during the Hoover Administration. If Gingrich can't get his facts straight about the last century, why should we listen to his suggestions for this one? Lee Poole, PHOENIX

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