What happened to tracking e-mails?

Re “Rove, others were warned to save e-mails,” April 14

I am a computer scientist, and I can tell you with complete confidence that it is absolutely impossible that the White House could lose e-mails as described. It is inconceivable that the systems in question were not highly secure and backed up automatically. Also, in any well-designed system, these servers would be duplicated.

If thousands of e-mails have indeed vanished, this can only have happened by a deliberate act. Further, such destruction would absolutely require the expert participation of a senior computer systems professional.

PETER GRIFFITHS

Santa Monica

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I find it especially offensive that President Bush touts democracy as the reason for continuing the devastating and hopeless war in Iraq while, at the same time, he and those working under him are making a sham out of our own democratic system.

SANDRA LAGERSON

Westchester

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If it is true that no one can find White House advisor Karl Rove’s deleted e-mails, it does not say much for the president’s domestic spying capability to keep track of terrorist communications.

EDWARD SAADE

Poway

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Re “Gonzales to admit mistakes in firings,” April 16

I will be closely watching the testimony of U.S. Atty. Gen. Alberto R. Gonzales before the Senate Judiciary Committee for two main reasons: to hear him finally tell the truth and to hear and see why it has taken weeks of cramming to prepare the highest justice official in our country to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth.

DORIAN DE WIND

Austin, Texas

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Re “Gonzales: Keeping his distance, or deficient?” April 15

Gonzales’ stock in trade is defining objectionable activities so narrowly that one can do almost anything without engaging in them. In his notorious torture memo, written when he was counsel to the president, he defined torture as limited to causing pain equivalent to that of organ failure or death, meaning that a host of other sadistic practices that have long been recognized as torture under international law, and by civilized people everywhere, would have become acceptable. Gonzales now defines the improper firing of U.S. attorneys as limited to interference with an ongoing criminal investigation. This evidently means that firing these public servants for refusing to instigate meritless investigations, either against political opponents or against minority voting groups, or as punishment for putting a prominent Republican in jail, would be entirely proper. It is clear from this that one thing that would be improper by any definition would be for Gonzales to keep his job as attorney general.

ROGER ALGASE

New York