Editor, Gazette-Journal:

Upon reading “Language lessons” (Feb. 15 Readers Write) by Admiral Dorman, I am compelled to respond, with due respect for his years of service. I must take strong exception to several points, the first being “If you vote GOP, start learning Russian now.” He implies that the GOP candidate, Donald Trump, is a sympathizer, if not a collaborator.

This implication again raises the specter of the tired theme posed by the Steele dossier, then the rise and media saturation of RussiaGate. Journalist Bob Woodward called the Steele dossier a “garbage document,” a conclusion likely promoted by a total lack of credible evidence, as well as the inclusion of false accusations and political innuendo.

As to Mr. Trump’s supposed collaboration with Russia, I would caution the observer against confusing statesmanship with appeasement. As to the author’s assumption that the election of Mr. Trump would give a greenlight for Mr. Putin to invade Europe and recreate the Sovi...