To the Editor:
Re “Robert S. Mueller III, 1944-2026: Remade F.B.I. After Sept. 11 and Led Trump Investigation” (obituary, front page, March 22):
Robert Mueller led a Marine platoon into combat in Vietnam, receiving a Bronze Star for heroism under fire, a Purple Heart and two commendations for valor under fire. As an attorney he chose to serve for decades as a public servant rather than pursue what would have been a lucrative career in private practice.
On Saturday, upon Mr. Mueller’s death, President Trump, who received five draft exemptions, glibly posted on Truth Social: “Robert Mueller just died. Good, I’m glad he’s dead. He can no longer hurt innocent people!”
We have to decide whether or not we have completely abandoned any pretense of expecting our leaders to demonstrate character in their words and actions. Mr. Trump is brazenly challenging us; he is working to normalize the idea that character is irrelevant.
All of us desperately need to ask ourselves if we have the individual and national character demonstrated by Mr. Mueller throughout his military and public service to reject this attack on the role of character and basic decency in our national identity.
Richard Schwartz Longbranch, Wash.
To the Editor:
I had the privilege of working closely with Bob Mueller at the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Bob epitomized the F.B.I.’s motto, “Fidelity, Bravery, Integrity,” but he had more than that.
He was also the ultimate example of intellect, commitment to the rule of law, leadership and dignity. Despite President Trump’s comment, there is nothing “good” about the death of this veteran, husband, father, colleague and friend.
Kathleen McChesney Los Angeles The writer is a retired executive assistant director at the F.B.I.
To the Editor:
When I served as chief deputy attorney general for New Mexico in the early 2000s, I was invited to a meeting at the Justice Department in Washington with Robert Mueller when he was the head of the F.B.I. He explained to the group I was a part of that the F.B.I. was deploying advanced technological equipment to monitor terrorists after the horrific disasters of Sept. 11, 2001.
I asked him whether undercover agents were also being used to infiltrate terrorist cells. He replied that to win the confidence of terrorists and be admitted to their inner circle would require doing such terrible acts that it would be contrary to our country’s basic values and so no, we were not trying to do that.
Mr. Mueller was always a man of integrity who reflected the best of what America can and should be. To contrast his basic decency with the crudeness of President Trump’s saying he was “glad” Mr. Mueller was dead speaks volumes about the differences in their characters and how vindictive and meanspirited Mr. Trump is.
Stuart M. Bluestone Santa Fe, N.M.
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Hello, Staten Island Calling
To the Editor:
I take strong exception to Andrew Heisel’s declaration that Alexander Graham Bell made the “first” telephone call 150 years ago in “What the Telephone Can Teach Us, 150 Years Later” (Opinion guest essay, March 12):
Beginning in 1850 — when Bell may have still been in diapers — Antonio Meucci discovered that sound could travel through a wire. Meucci perfected his invention so that he could speak with his ill, bedridden wife on the “telettrofono” (as he called it) from his laboratory on Staten Island.
Because of his limited English, biases against Italians at the time and the fact he was poor and could not afford a patent, Meucci did not get the credit he deserved.
Finally in 2002, thanks to then-Representative Vito Fossella (currently the Staten Island borough president), the House of Representatives passed a resolution recognizing Meucci’s contribution to the invention of the telephone.
When historians find convincing evidence for rethinking what they once believed, we should set the record straight.
Frances R. Curcio Staten Island The writer is the co-author of “The Case of Antonio Meucci and the Telephone: Just the Facts.”
Car Talk
To the Editor:
Re “The Secret Handshakes of Vehicle Owners” (Business, March 16):
While cruising along on a Virginia country road in my 1958 Morgan Plus 4, I encountered a Plus 4 coming the other way. We didn’t wave, blink or wink. We pulled over, stopped, got out and had a friendly chat about our classics.
Davis van Bakergem St. Louis
To the Editor:
In 1971, when I bought my first BMW, relatively few people had ever heard of the carmaker and brand. American sales were minuscule. Seeing another BMW approaching you on the road was a special event, and the headlight-flashing greeting was common.
Today, on Long Island, where I live, BMWs are ubiquitous, and any attempt to acknowledge approaching other BMWs with a flash of my headlights would result in permanent tendinitis in my right hand.
Matthew Sonfield Oyster Bay, N.Y.
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