John O'Sullivan's article on Barry Goldwater {"The Later Goldwater, Alas," July 6} contained an unfortunate chronological solecism. Referring to the media's about-face on Goldwater, Mr. O'Sullivan writes: "There has been nothing like it since the spoof German newspaper headline from the 1920s: `Archduke Franz Ferdinand Found Alive-First World War "A Mistake." " If such a headline had run in the 1920s it would have said "Great War 'A Mistake."' That conflict was not referred to as the First World War until after the start of the Second World War, an event in which Senator Goldwater participated.