Alistair Cooke, 1908-2004, giant of journalism, was known around the world for his "Letter From America," a series of 13-minute essays broadcast weekly on BBC radio. He delivered 2,869 of the essays from 1946 to 2004. Born in Salford, England, Cooke moved permanently to New York in 1937. He was best known in his adopted country as host of the PBS television series "Masterpiece Theater" from 1971 to 1992.