#11 - JRL 8070
From: "masha gessen" <gessen@ru.ru>
Subject: Re: 8068-Heath

Date: Mon, 16 Feb 2004

I'd like to thank Michael Heath for his considered comments on JRL. And to clarify one point: I don't want to overstate the potential importance of Committee 2008. I mentioned it because I was asked about the intelligentsia. I find the committee interesting because it has reached back a couple of decades to employ the rhetoric of the intelligentsia. But I also think--and here I agree completely with Michael Heath--that many members of this committee have very little credibility in this role. I also happen to think it is extremely unfortunate that they rushed to write off the 2004 election, which may be the last election when the opposition has a chance to use television to make its case--and when, moreover, Irina Khakamada is using this chance effectively.

And another point of clarification. I have just now read the RFE/RL item in its entirety and noticed that I was incorrectly identified as a former managing editor of Itogi. I worked as chief correspondent there. It was Masha Lipman who worked as deputy editor in chief. I find it useful sometimes to declare that Masha Lipman, Masha Slonim and Masha Gessen are all women journalists, all work in both Russian and English, and may show several other traits (such as being short), but are, nonetheless, really three separate people.