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Daniel Kadlec questioned why Reebok appeared on the California Public Employees' Retirement System's list of laggard companies [MONEY IN MOTION, Feb. 24]. He overlooked 12 reasons: the members of the Reebok board. The sneaker company's "lean years" landed it on the CalPERS list, and rightfully so: $100 invested in its stock in 1991 was worth only $122 five years later, vs. $232 for industry competitors. Sure, Reebok's stock has seen the light in the past 10 months, but this glitch hardly gives CalPERS assurance of the company's future long-term success. Our putting Reebok on the laggard list is as correct as the old adage: If the shoe fits, wear it. PATRICIA K. MACHT, Chief CalPERS Office of Public Affairs Sacramento, California
BREAST-FEEDING ARMY PILOT
Sure, the U.S. Army should let Lieut. Emma Cuevas resign from the service so that she can regularly breast-feed her daughter [NATION, Feb. 24]. I'm certain Cuevas and her husband will gladly refund to the taxpayers the $500,000 wasted on her training because she wants to break her contract three years ahead of time. But wait a minute! Didn't I just see the couple walking out of the 7-Eleven with a can of baby formula? MARTIN ZAKALOWSKI Washington, Michigan
I feel sorry for Lieut. Cuevas and her daughter Isabella. The Army will probably win on this issue, and Cuevas will have to complete her military obligation. I'm afraid the Army will have a tired, frustrated and resentful pilot, but it will have a pilot. The bond between a nursing mother and her child is stronger than anything I have ever known. I am a former U.S. Air Force captain, and I breast-fed my first son. Other officers may believe Cuevas is "selfish and a disgrace to women in the military," but I think she is demonstrating selflessness and courage. DONNA KRINGLER Midway Park, North Carolina
I am the mother of a 16-month-old girl. When Lieut. Cuevas was a plebe at West Point, I supervised her training. I can tell you that Emma was a whiner even then. I'm sorry I didn't do more to persuade her to leave the service. If I had, she could feed her child without embarrassing military women everywhere with her drivel. I guess Cuevas was my first leadership disappointment. JOANNE C. MOORE Captain, U.S.A. Columbus, Georgia
RECOVERING JEWISH ASSETS
Not only should Holocaust victims or their relatives have the opportunity to retrieve money and possessions [WORLD, Feb. 24], but they should also collect interest from the Swiss banks. And they shouldn't even have to mention the word lawsuit. SIMON HUCK Ottawa
Everyone should understand the role of records in establishing rights and legitimizing identities and liberties. The dramatic case of the search for Nazi gold is an excellent example of the value of records not only in documenting historical facts but also in preserving essential evidence. For us at the National Archives and Records Administration, the role of preserving and providing access to this essential evidence of history is at the core of our mission. JOHN W. CARLIN, Archivist of the U.S. National Archives Washington
You didn't mention the scores of people who benefited from the guarded nature of Swiss banking. The real story is not so one-sided as you would lead people to believe. WILLIAM R. HOLTZ Thonex, Switzerland