2/1/96

Dear Ben Hughes,

        I was moved to get your very concerned message. I spent a year at
Harvard (1979) at Leverett House as an Honorary Research Associate in East
Asian Affairs at the invitation of Prof. Reischauer during a sabbatical
from Newsweek as Tokyo bureau chief. I am also a friend of Ezra Vogel's.
Therefore I am very happy to see that Harvard is attracting people of your
caliber.

        Right now, facing famine, the only thing that anyone can do is
contribute to sending rice to the North Korean flood victims and have
someone like me go there, distribute it personally and verify to the donors
that those intended to receive it, got it. The country itself is still
relatively closed, like Japan was during the Tokugawa era, so it is not
easy for foreigners to go there and do anything in a humanitarian way.

        Perhaps the most significant thing you could do is try to collect
$1.00 from 100 students or faculty, starting with Ezra Vogel or Jon Mills
of the University Development Office (show them  this letter) and send me
the $100 plus the names of the donors (those who wish to be listed) and I
would post them on this home page and also announce  this donation coming
from Harvard when I distribute rice in the villages, with video evidence.
The amount itself would not be important but the spirit--that Harvard, too,
cares.  You would be in good company. Seoul National University took a
similar collection and sent us $1,300.

        You could also send a few letters to President Clinton, Winston
Lord (at State) and your senator and congressman urging them to push for
further U.S. government support to the flood victims, regardless of the
South Korean government pressure to try to stop them.

        You would be surprised the effect that a single sincere, articulate
letter from someone  like you to a policy maker may make in a society like
ours.

        You could introduce more students to our home page.

        You could also send a few letters to President Clinton, Winston
Lord (at State) and your senator and congressman urging them to push for
further U.S. government support to the flood victims, regardless of the
South Korean government pressure to try to stop them.

        You would be surprised the effect that a single sincere, articulate
letter from someone  like you to a policy maker may make in a society like
ours.

       Good luck in your studies and in your career.

Best regards,

Bernard Krisher

>YOU WROTE:
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>>Dear Bernard Krisher,
>>
>>I am a graduate student in Korean history at Harvard University.  I saw
>>your posting on the Web today at work, and I wanted to write to say thank
>>you for what you're doing.  I hope politics will not get in the way of
>>helping the famine/flood victims in North Korea.
>>
>>Like many graduate students, I am finacially strapped, but if there are
>>any opportunities to help with the relief efforts, please let me know.  I
>>speak fairly good Korean and would be glad to put it to meaningful use.
>>Also if there is anything I can do here in Boston to help publicize your
>>efforts, please let me know.
>>
>>Thanks and good luck.
>>
>>Sincerely,
>>
>>Ben Hughes
>>45 Francis Avenue
>>Cambridge, MA 02138
>>USA
>>(617) 441-5262
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