Ian Smith

It's been illuminating to read many takes on Ian Smith, the Rhodesian leader who in the 1960s and 1970s defied the transition to black rule in Africa.

I would urge readers to look at three major British papers for their vastly different styles: The Telegraph, the Guardian and the Times of London. The lefty Guardian really does a number on Smith and, like the Times, highlights his physical deformities at the top of the story as if they were important to understanding his character. I think this approach dubious, like an ad hominem attack.

The Times also offers a revealing video interview with Smith that was posted on You Tube and provides a generous view of his administration.

On a fun aside, I did an obituary for Lester Ziffren, a onetime wire service reporter in Madrid who used a simple code to sneak around censors and break news of the Spanish Civil War. His daughter also became a journalist and at one point worked at Town & Country magazine, known for its photo illustrations of mansions and all the possessions within. As such, she said, the magazine won the nickname "Burglar Monthly."

I would also urge readers to see another account of ZIffren's life in the New York Sun as well as a 1937 Time magazine account of Ziffren's news from Spain about "bumping off parties."