The Editor,

As the director of the US Information Service, Mr Franklin E.

Huffman succinctly puts forth, in his letter to the June 2-15 edition of the

Post, the qualifications and stature of Ms Nancy Ely-Raphael within the US State

Department and also responds to the previous edition's article concerning her

forthcoming report on the human rights situation in Cambodia. Its unfortunate

though that he doesn't respond to the article's glaring and most embarrassing

point in which, when asked a question by a reporter, Ms Ely-Raphael either

forgot, didn't know, couldn't pronounce, or simply wasn't informed of the first

Prime Minister's name.

As an American expatriate in Phnom Penh my head is

hung in shame to think that a "senior civil servant" and an information agency

headed by Mr Huffman could perform such a diplomatic blunder.

As Mr

Huffman states lets set the same "rigorous standards" the State Department

adheres to for "objectivity and accuracy in reporting" to future US diplomatic

news conferences in Phnom Penh. After all Mr Huffman, some things are better

left unsaid.

(Where is Denise Heywood when you need her? At least she was

well informed on where to get the best tripe in town).

- David Hagenson, Phnom Penh