A Letter From The Publisher, Apr. 3, 1978

For such a contentious subject, TIME'S special report on socialism (March 13) drew a remarkably calm and reasoned set of responses from our readers, as reflected in the excerpts printed in this week's Letters column. In contrast, the cover story on the serene Cheryl Tiegs (March 6) brought a surge of emotion-charged letters—555 at last count. Most of our critics were angry and articulate women who found the story sexist. Predictably, the most enthusiastic supporters were males who felt that the cover was, as one put it, "a breath of fresh air."

Week after week TIME'S readers write, continuing a dialogue with...