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SECRET PEN POLS

They’re on opposite sides now, but Bill Clinton and Rudy Giuliani were bosom buddies during their days as president and mayor.

Giuliani, the Republican front-runner for president, recently blasted Clinton as weak on terrorism during his White House tenure. He’s also hammered Clinton’s wife, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, the leading Democratic presidential candidate, for wanting to cut and run in Iraq.

But letters in Giuliani’s archives show that Rudy and Bubba were mutually admiring pen pals while in office – praising each other particularly on anti-crime initiatives then opposed by the National Rifle Association.

“Thank you very much for your efforts on behalf of H.R. 4296, the assault weapons ban,” Clinton said in a May 6, 1994, “Dear Rudy” letter.

“With your support and encouragement, the U.S. House of Representatives took a critical step toward getting assault weapons off the streets, out of neighborhoods, and out of the hands of criminals,” said Clinton, adding he was “grateful” for Giuliani’s “dedicated” backing of the bill.

Many Republicans joined the NRA in opposing the assault-weapons ban, which lapsed in 2004. The law also included funding for cities such as New York to hire more cops and imposed stricter sentences for repeat violent felons.

Giuliani wrote Clinton back on May 31. “Thank you for your autographed photo and your kind note,” he said. “Please know that you have my continued support for this crucial legislation.”

Later in the year, after signing the anti-crime bill into law, Clinton wrote Giuliani again to thank him.

“You can be proud of all of your efforts to promote this bill,” Clinton said in an Oct. 4 letter to Giuliani. “Your hard work made this victory for the American people possible. Please accept the enclosed signing pen as a token of my appreciation and admiration.”

Giuliani again returned the praise.

“Thank you for the signing pen. I greatly appreciate your thoughtfulness, and I look forward to continuing to work with you to reduce crime and improve the quality of life in New York City and across the nation,” he said in an Oct. 13 “Dear Mr. President” note.

Giuliani recently boasted to a Louisiana law-enforcement group that he had a letter from Clinton – that he keeps at home – praising him for his crime-fighting efforts. He joked that he would release it at the opportune moment, possibly against potential opponent Hillary Clinton.

carl.campanile@nypost.com