Letter: Liar in Oval Office

Sir: In reporting the possibility of President Clinton being impeached, the British media, including The Independent, seem to be having trouble with the name of the only US president so indicted - Andrew Johnson, the 17th president. Too often he is identified as Andrew Jackson, the 7th president and considered one of the best.

Johnson, Lincoln's second vice-president, took office when Lincoln was murdered. A former US Senator from Tennessee, Johnson was unpopular mainly for being from the border state. The main reason for his impeachment was his firing of Secretary of War Stanton, who for a time after Lincoln's death virtually ran the country with little or no legal authority. The Senate acquitted Johnson by one vote and he served out his term. Later he was re-elected to the Senate by Tennessee voters.

R R ODGERS

Hove, East Sussex