To the Editor:

In the January issue of Perspectives, John Haynes accused me of portraying him as a "knave" in my article, "Moscow's Archives and the New History of the Communist Party of the United States" (Perspectives, October 2000). While I had no intention of maligning Haynes's motivations, the fact remains that we have a fundamental disagreement over how to interpret Communist Party archival sources. Haynes's role as a major player in gaining the Library of Congress access to Moscow's rich sources should be applauded. This act, however, does not mean that historians need to accept his one-sided interpretation of the sources—one that excludes local forces and the complex nature of American communism.

—Randi Storch
SUNY, Cortland