Working ex-presidents

I enjoyed the Aug. 1 editorial on former President Jimmy Carter's return to New York City to work at a low-income housing project. However, it said that President John Quincy Adams ``is still the only one [former President] who returned to government as a legislator.'' Our 17th President, Andrew Johnson, also returned to Washington after leaving the presidency. Johnson, who successfully battled an impeachment charge, was elected to the US Senate from Tennessee in 1875.

His return to the Senate, at the age of 66, was marked by ceremony and speeches. Johnson's term, however, was very short. Within a few months, he died while visiting one of his daughters near Greeneville, Tenn. Edward F. Feighan Member of Congress Washington

Thank you for the July 18 article on Sen. John Kerry of Massachusetts, ``a quotable authority on US policy in Central America.'' It's encouraging to hear of a senator committed to thinking for himself. James Armstrong Placentia, Calif.

Forty years ago, the people of Hiroshima were our enemies. Our choice of weapons was not widely regarded as a moral question. Our objective was to destroy the enemy. Prior to 1945, wars were to be won.

Now there is force beyond the wildest dreams of Genghis Khan, but you can't use it. Albert Einstein pointed this out on Day One of the Atomic Age, but you don't have to be an Einstein to get the message.

Today, we are the People. We have a common destiny. If we choose not to make war, we must actively make peace.

We need government at the world level adequate to control our angers and to resolve our conflicts. We must structurally build down our armaments. David Leichtman World Federalist Association Lexington, Mass.

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