Madam, - The death of Ronald Reagan has brought forth the now familiar, but still inaccurate, themes of oppression in Central America and the reckless arms build-up.
Focusing on these aspects of his presidency shows a limited understanding of realpolitik and ignores the central truth that Reagan understood. This was that millions of people living in the Soviet Union and its client states in Europe, Africa, Central America and elsewhere yearned for and were entitled to enjoy the same freedoms which we in the West enjoyed.
He also knew that the way to gain these freedoms and rid the world of a major threat to peace and security was to challenge directly those responsible and not to engage in the appeasement of détente.
This is not to deny that mistakes were made but rather to stress that the Reagan doctrine of standing up to the Soviets was proven to be correct.
To his opponents Reagan was an object of ridicule. But Reagan was the President who brought America back from the malaise of the Vietnam war débâcle and the misery of its aftermath.
A simple man? Perhaps. But his simple ideas created the conditions which allowed millions of eastern Europeans to join the EU this year and become what no other post-war American or European leader could arrange: free citizens living without tyranny and oppression.
Because of this achievement history will judge him kindly and he will be seen to have been a great American president. - Yours, etc.,
TREVOR TROY, Connaught Place, Athboy, Co Meath.