Jeffrey Kluger's "Moon Walkers" left me with a new appreciation of our astronauts [July 27]. It was carefully researched and beautifully written and filled in the gap in my knowledge of the lives of these men after their missions. Kluger's last paragraph on the "enduring legacy" of the 24 men's unique "comradeship" will stay with me. They are more human and more heroic than I ever imagined.
Gerry Mandel, ST. LOUIS, MO., U.S.
The brave astronauts who immeasurably boosted America's status during the Cold War undertook their daring adventures with full knowledge of the mortal dangers involved. But even more than their achievements, the true measure of their greatness is the humility they have shown — in a world where very ordinary men cannot stop bragging about trivial triumphs.
Ajit Parihar, LUDHIANA, INDIA
I was taken aback by Jack Swigert's opinion: "The very things that qualified the men to go to the moon ... disqualified them to describe their journey with any lyricism." Perhaps Swigert has never heard of Antoine de St. Exupéry, the French aviator, explorer and writer, whose internationally loved fictional creation, the Little Prince is from the planet B612. Somehow I believe St. Exupéry would have fulfilled NASA's requirement "for pilots who were made of tough physical stuff" in spite of his many other talents. NASA should broaden its scope.
Jeanette F. Huber, KINSALE, IRELAND
Your article brought back fond memories of Neil Armstrong. I was 12 years old in 1969 sitting in my uncle's front yard in Wapakoneta, Ohio, watching the parade honoring the hometown hero. My parents recall years earlier when the first man on the moon wrecked his single-engine plane in their backyard and came to the house to ask to use the phone.
James McEvoy, BRUSSELS, BELGIUM
Keeping Secrets
Once again, a TIME article has fallen into the trap of depicting Israeli settlements as the main obstacle to peace in the Middle East [July 27]. The key problem continues to be the unwillingness of the Palestinian leadership and most Arab states in the region to accept Israel as a Jewish state. This is a much more fundamental issue than whether someone in Efrat or Ma'aleh Adumim can build an addition onto their house.
Henry Goldberg, CHICAGO
Chutzpah is the term that comes to mind when reading Israel Katz's response to President Obama's efforts to solve the West Bank-settlement issue. Israel accepted $2.4 billion in aid last year from U.S. taxpayers, yet the Katz family and fellow settlers tell us to "butt out." Californians could use that money to ease our budget crisis, and we know better than to bite the hand that feeds us — even when it's our money in the first place.
Doris Concklin, CARMICHAEL, CALIF., U.S.
When are you going to write a six-page article flanked with color pictures of the Palestinian victims kicked out by force from their villages to make way for these illegal and illegitimate outposts?
Ahmed Said, VIRGINIA BEACH, VA., U.S.
Keeping Secrets
RE "The CIA Has Secrets. Hello?" [July 27]: As an Army intelligence officer during the Korean War, I interrogated a lieutenant colonel who had defected from North Korea's supreme headquarters. My superiors agreed that in exchange for an extensive report, he would not be turned over to the South Koreans but would be allowed to continue his education in electrical engineering in the U.S. After a two-week interrogation, I was directed to turn him over to the CIA, who would then follow through with the agreement. A short time later, I heard that the CIA thought he might be a double agent and was considering eliminating him. I never heard anything about him again but have always wondered what they did with him.
Albert R. Wight, POWELL, WYO., U.S.
Baa, Humbug
RE The Shrinking Scottish Sheep [July 27]: What is happening to the species mentioned is a classic example of modification not evolution, though some researchers term it "micro-evolution." The same thing happened to the peppered moth, and it is completely reversible. No new species are being created. The genotype remains unchanged, though some genes are switched off and some switched on.
Andriy Sukhodub, DUNDEE, SCOTLAND