Richard Nixon

I respect William Schneider’s abilities as a columnist; they are considerable. His column, “Jim Wright’s Capitol Punishment,” (Opinion, June 4), is an excellent exposition of the problems facing the Congress (and the people), in the fallout from the current turmoil regarding ethical issues. He errs, I think, or rewrites history, in his statement: “The Democrats succeeded in destroying a U.S. President on ethics charges in 1974.”

One knows not whether this is in reference to the hearings of the Select Committee on Presidential Campaign Activities of 1972 (Ervin committee), or to the Ervin committee hearings, 1974. In either case there was sufficient evidence of wrongdoing and corruption to merit the results that flowed from the hearings, including President Nixon’s resignation, and the Republicans were not about to investigate themselves. The Democrats did not destroy Nixon; his own psychoses abetted by a gang of inept, cheap crooks brought him down.

BENJAMIN F. HAWKINS

Indio