October 27, 2006

To the Editor:

Your article and the accompanying headline (“Rumsfeld Tells Iraq Critics to ‘Back Off,’” October 26, 2006) said incorrectly that the Secretary’s comments in his Thursday press conference were aimed at “detractors” and “critics.” In fact, the Secretary was referring specifically to journalists seeking to create a perception of major divisions between the positions of the U.S. and Iraqi governments. Secretary Rumsfeld was not referring to critics of the administration’s Iraq policy.

Sincerely,

Dorrance Smith
Assistant Secretary of Defense for Public Affairs