Historians regard letters as invaluable expressions of personal sentiments. But they must also be used with caution. Some of the letters reproduced on this site, for example, were selected because of what they reveal about Norman’s outlook at the time they were written, especially the 1920s and 1930s, when his political views were being shaped. In order to put these in context, think forward to a time when, in your middle age, you might read the thoughts you expressed today in an email message to a friend. Might those hasty thoughts provoke an instant of embarrassment or regret? Will the sentiments accurately match your point of view 20 years from now?