Opinion | Expelled From the Navy: 381 Banned Books

To the Editor:

Re “Angelou’s ‘Caged Bird’ Is Out, but Hitler’s ‘Mein Kampf’ Stays; 381 Books Are Banned From Naval Academy” (front page, April 12):

My grandfather was Fleet Adm. Chester W. Nimitz. The United States Naval Academy’s library was named in his honor in 1973. My family was proud to attend the dedication.

He would be appalled by the removal of books by authors like Maya Angelou from its shelves — as am I and are his great-grandchildren and great-great-grandchildren. He was a humble, honorable, intelligent and supportive leader who was honored and loved by everyone he came into contact with.

We are all ashamed to hear that books such as “Mein Kampf” have been left on the shelves while others were removed.

Thank you to The New York Times for featuring this story!

Sarah Nimitz Smith
Boston

To the Editor:

Kudos to The Times for reporting that the U.S. Naval Academy has banned and removed 381 books from its library, clearly demonstrating ideological censorship in promotion of the Trump administration’s assault on diversity, equity and inclusion policies.

One of the first steps a totalitarian regime takes is to control what citizens may read and what information is available to them from print and electronic media. State control of information is nothing more than propaganda.

Should George Orwell’s novel “1984” be renamed “2025”?

Robert D. Greenberg
Bethesda, Md.

To the Editor:

If President Trump’s censorship team did not sweep up Ray Bradbury’s novel “Fahrenheit 451” when it raided the Naval Academy’s library (it apparently did not), it had better get back there before some innocent academy student finds the book and learns how censorship, book banning and book burning poison democracy and freedom.

Jim O’Rourke
Newfoundland, N.J.

To the Editor:

Evidently our librarian in chief, Donald Trump, thinks our Naval Academy students are too delicate to read books often assigned in high school.

The pen truly is mightier than the sword, or battleship.

Susan H. Schwartz
Palm Beach, Fla.

To the Editor:

Thanks very much for publishing in full the list of books removed from the U.S. Naval Academy’s library. It has already proved to be immensely helpful in compiling my own list of “must reads”!

To the Editor:

Re “Why I Got the Measles Vaccine at Age 63,” by Margaret Renkl (Opinion guest essay, March 26):

Thank you for publishing this honest, thoughtful article about the history of the measles vaccine and the benefit of vaccination against deadly diseases. I was born a few years before the measles vaccine was developed. My siblings and I all came down with measles as well as mumps, rubella and chickenpox.

While catching a disease confers some immunity, it is not as effective as vaccination. The result for me was that my doctor tested my blood for antibodies against measles while I was pregnant with my first child. The result showed that my immunity was poor, and I received a modern measles vaccine in 1987 to protect my baby. My children received the BCG vaccination against TB while we lived in Europe.

I feel lucky to have had observant doctors and to have lived in countries where vaccination is available. There is much to do to suppress and counter the misinformation being spread by the health secretary, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., and other ill-informed vaccine skeptics to protect our community.

Allison Gannon
San Ramon, Calif.

Slashing the E.P.A.

To the Editor:

Re “Trump Administration Aims to Eliminate E.P.A.’s Scientific Research Arm” (news article, nytimes.com, March 17):

During both Republican and Democratic administrations, I served as the deputy assistant administrator for science in the Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of Research and Development — the top career scientist in an office of dedicated and hard-working employees. I also led the development of the E.P.A.’s Scientific Integrity Policy.

My over 30 years of experience in the Office of Research and Development is in direct conflict with the unsupported and inflammatory words of Project 2025 quoted in this article. Since its inception, the O.R.D. has presented its assessment of the best available science to the agency’s top policymakers. When necessary, O.R.D. scientists “speak scientific truth to power,” independent of political party.

Both the E.P.A. and its research and development office have contributed to protecting the health of Americans and our environment. This mission has become increasingly important because of the rising number of environmental disasters, including wildfires and severe storms, caused or exacerbated by global warming.

Current proposals to dissolve the office will surely lead to a degradation in Americans’ health and our environment.

Kevin Yale Teichman
Rockville, Md.

A Cost to Farmers

To the Editor:

Re “A Story About the Environment That Almost Had a Happy Ending,” by Jacques Leslie (Opinion guest essay, March 23):

As a fifth-generation Klamath farmer, I was disappointed that Mr. Leslie’s essay failed to include the perspective of farmers and ranchers. My family has farmed this land for 116 years, yet we are repeatedly shut out of the conversation.

The article celebrates the Endangered Species Act and dam removal for salmon recovery but ignores how the federal government has used the act as a blunt instrument, leading to the economic and social collapse of our communities. Farmers in the Klamath Basin have endured devastating water shut-offs, forcing many out of business.

We support salmon recovery, but real solutions must recognize that farmers, tribes and fish can all coexist. We have invested in water efficiency, habitat improvements and other conservation efforts, yet we are treated as expendable. If the only solution is to take water from agriculture, what happens to the families who have fed America for generations?

There is a way forward — but only if the conversation includes those who grow the food America depends on. We deserve a seat at the table.

Rodney Cheyne
Klamath Falls, Ore.
The writer is the president of the Klamath Irrigation District.

Leaders, Rise Up

To the Editor:

I’m 84 years old and will tell my grown grandkids not to despair about the current state of affairs in the country.

Yes, I, too, feel the breath of depression sighing at the back of my neck. I feel sad watching our proud country disappear day by day in a riptide of lies and ignorance. I worry about bleached reefs and wildfires, too.

However, I have confidence that old and new leaders will rise up. A great restoration will begin; wait and see. I can trust that vein of hope as I read about how Senators Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders have rallied crowds of thousands into solidarity.

I will tell my grandkids what happened when my heroes came along — Barack Obama, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Ms. Warren and Mr. Sanders, to name a few. I will ask them not to run away. America needs all of us now more than ever.

Judy Ticehurst
Ashland, Ore.