PRESIDENT PUTIN'S PARDEN SHOWS GOODWILL

An ailing American businessman who had been convicted of espionage by a Moscow court received a pardon from Russian President Vladimir Putin after pleas from President Clinton and others. Edmund Pope has suffered from a rare form of bone cancer, which was in remission when he was arrested in April. Now, his family fears it has returned, as indeed he is known to be under treatment for skin cancer as well. Moreover, Pope's father is dying from cancer.

Pope was sentenced to 20 years for espionage. Russian authorities had convicted him for illegally obtaining classified blueprints for a high-speed underwater torpedo. The seven-week trial was widely seen as biased in favor of the prosecution. The pardon came following a recommendation by Russia's presidential pardons commission. President Clinton had urged the pardon based largely on Pope's deteriorating health condition.

Whatever the reason for the pardon, it is welcome. The Pope conviction was indeed questionable, and revived memories of Russia's totalitarian past.

If the new Russian president feels it necessary to avoid giving the impression that his country might be backsliding, then that is all to the good.